Former La Rascasse bouncer sentenced for assault on drunken customer
The victim was prescribed 10 days' medical leave © Unsplash
A man was violently assaulted as he left a bar in Monaco. His attacker, a former bouncer, was handed a two-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay substantial damages.
The famous La Rascasse bar, a lively nightlife spot, was the scene of a completely different kind of action on 4 February 2023. An argument escalated into a brawl, involving a drunken man and a former bouncer from the bar, who appeared out of nowhere.
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An evening that ended up in chaos
It all started with an argument between a man in his thirties, who was very drunk, and a barman. The completely inebriated man lost his temper, unhappy that his bank card was being withheld “for no reason.” Escorted out of the establishment, he tried to go back in, but was turned away. Staggering, aggressive and threatening, he ended up being handcuffed by the police. His behaviour was described by the presiding magistrate as “inappropriate towards the police and emergency services.”
However, he is not the one who found himself in the dock. He was the victim of a violent assault a few minutes after the first incident, at 4.10 am. The presiding magistrate said the victim was punched in the face, then kicked when he was on the ground. Given his heavily intoxicated state, the victim had no idea what was happening.
He suffered a broken tooth and painful bruising in many places. To this day, he still can’t fully remember what happened that night.
La Rascasse was completely emptied and closed after the incident.
A defendant under stress
The accused was a former bouncer at La Rascasse. He said he went along that evening as “just a customer with a friend.” According to witnesses, friends of the victim, he was the one who carried out the assault.
When questioned in court, he denied the accusations and said that he did not know the victim. And the victim said, “I can’t say for sure that it was this gentleman.” He only remembered five huge figures.
On the stand, the defendant’s explanations seemed inconsistent, however. He was visibly stressed and sweating, and both the presiding magistrate and the prosecutor were relatively accusatory. He was asked why he had never answered calls from the Police Department. The defendant swore he “didn’t get any.” On the other hand, he said “I went to the police as soon as I received the summons.”
At the initial police interview, the accused had no recollection of that specific evening, but on the day of the court hearing, the facts were clearer to him. That night, the man remembers being stopped by the police, but that happens to him from time to time in Monaco. “I hate violence. I have a daughter. I’m 48, and I’ve never hit anyone, not even my ex-wife. I don’t see why I would have done this,” he said. Despite a clean criminal record, his explanations were deemed inconsistent.
“Entirely responsible”
The victim’s lawyer explained that his client had been waiting for two years to understand the reasons behind the gratuitous attack, which resulted in 10 days’ medical leave. He claimed €8,277 to cover the damages he suffered, including legal costs, dental expenses, annual X-ray check-ups and replacement of the cap on the broken tooth in around ten years’ time.
The court found the former bouncer guilty and “entirely responsible.” He was given a two-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay the victim €1,060.37 in respect of physical injury, €500 in non-material damages and €1,500 in legal fees.