A GANG of men attacked doormen in ‘revenge’ after they were ejected from a Worcester nightclub.

One of the doormen feared he might lose an eye following the attack by Zahid Ali, Saood Ali and Mohammed Nasir outside Alexander’s nightclub in the city’s New Street. Zahid Ali, 22, of Lark Hill Road, Worcester, Saood Ali, 19, also of Lark Hill Road and Mohammed Nasir, 19, of Yew Tree Close, Worcester, were spared immediate jail sentences at Worcester Crown Court yesterday. They admitted affray following the attack at around 1.50am on October 14, 2018. CCTV footage was played in court, showing one of the doormen being kicked as he was held down on the ground by Zahid Ali.

Amanda O’Mara, prosecuting, said the three had been ejected via a service entrance before returning to the main entrance. When one of the doormen, Albert Foresythe, told Zahid Ali he was ‘banned from the club’ the defendant clenched his fists and said: “What did he say?”

The fight began when Zahid Ali, a convicted heroin and crack cocaine dealer, punched Mr Foresythe twice to the face before the doorman picked him him up by the waist, turned him upside down and threw him to the ground. Saood Ali can be seen trying to get towards a second Alexander’s doorman, James Coley, followed by Nasir, ‘acting aggressively and throwing his arms forward’. Robert Lindsay, a doorman at Bottles, tried to hold Saood Ali back. At one stage Saood Ali can be seen punching Mr Coley against a taxi.

Zahid Ali held Mr Coley on the ground while another man, who has already been sentenced at Luton Crown Court, kicked him on the ground. Mr Coley suffered a lump on his head which took four days to go down, a cut lip and swollen gums and had to visit his dentist and ‘feels like he’s looking over his shoulder when working’. Mr Foresythe suffered a cut to the eye and a swollen left cheek and ‘thought he could have lost an eye’ in the attack. He has since decided to give up working as security guard.

Judge Nicolas Cartwright told Zahid Ali that he had been ‘full of anger’ because he has been ejected. He said: “You realised you had a chance to get revenge on the doorman. You deliberately took your watch off because you knew you were going to be hitting him and took your chance to ambush him when he seemed most vulnerable.

“This was brute violence in the small hours here in the city centre with lots of people around.”

Zahid Ali was sentenced to 12 months in custody suspended for two years, ordered to pay £750 in compensation to each doorman and to complete 210 hours of unpaid work within the next 12 months. Nasir was sentenced to six months in custody suspended for two years and ordered to pay £375 compensation to each of the doormen. Saood Ali was sentenced to 10 months in custody suspended for two years, 180 hours of unpaid work and must pay £375 compensation to each of the doormen. All three were ordered to pay £500 costs each.

A man shouted ‘well in lads!’ from the public gallery when the sentences were announced. He was summoned into the courtroom by the judge and fined £20 which will go towards a cancer charity.

“I really did not mean to be disrespectful” he said.

“Apology accepted. You can leave the courtroom” said Judge Cartwright.