Colchester soldier attacked woman and bouncer at Atik nightclub

Harry Williams, 20, held a young woman in a headlock after he was “teased by boys” during a night out at Atik nightclub in Colchester, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

The court was told the serving soldier sank two bottles of wine and two double-vodkas before launching the attack in the early hours of October 30 last year.

The victim had just finished a cigarette and was making her way back inside the club from the smoking area when she “felt someone’s arm around her neck, tightly squeezing her”.

Charles Myatt, prosecuting, said she could feel the arm “getting tighter and tighter” as she was taken to the floor.

“She had no idea who it was who was doing this or why it was happening,” he said.

A bouncer working at the club saw the assault on the girl and watched “as her face turned blue” due to the headlock.

Mr Myatt said: “He could see him squeezing her head tightly, she was losing colour in her face and starting to turn blue.”

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The security worker grabbed Williams by the arm, pulled him to the ground and tried to restrain him.

As he tried to evict Williams from the club, the troublemaker punched him three times in the face.

The bouncer suffered a deep gash to his nose.

The woman suffered no injury as a result of the chokehold, but felt pain, was left shaken up and scared of going out on the town again.

The court heard in a statement the security worker said he “enjoys his job and has a duty of care to protect and safeguard”.

He said during a 20-year career "his attitude has never changed” and he “goes above and beyond” to protect people.

“Nothing like this has ever happened before,” he said.

“I don’t go to work to be assaulted.”

In police interview, Williams said he felt he was going to be “grabbed and attacked from behind” and reacted by “grabbing” the person behind him.

He had maintained he was acting in reasonable self-defence during both attacks, but changed his stance in court and admitted charges of assault by beating and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Margo Kerr, mitigating, said five positive character references had been presented to the judge, including a letter from his platoon commander.

The court was told he is serving in The Rifles regiment of the British Army, working in a “very distinguished position to be holding at a young age”.

Colchester's Merville Barracks

Ms Kerr told the court a custodial sentence or onerous conditions would result in his discharge from the Army.

She said this would impact the entire regiment, as he is due to deploy to Kosovo in September as part of a NATO mission.

“It could affect his ability to deploy in September, which would affect the entire regiment because they train as a team,” she said.

The court was told Williams, who was based at Colchester's Merville Barracks, witnessed a suicide bombing in Afghanistan and had assisted with the evacuation of people from the bomb site.

The attack claimed the lives of 13 US servicemen and at least 170 civilians, the court heard.

“On his return, he and his regiment did a week of mental health counselling,” said Ms Kerr.

She said Williams was likely suffering from PTSD and hypervigilance — an elevated state of constantly assessing potential nearby threats – at the time of the assaults.

Ms Kerr told the court her client had been approached by a group of boys in the smoking area, who began to “tease” him about his Army service.

“He felt someone push him from behind, he thought it was the complainant”, she said.

She said this mistake led to him placing the girl in a headlock.

“He then felt himself being set upon by a whole group of people, including the second complainant, who was of course just doing his job,” she added.

She said her client has stopped drinking alcohol since the incident.

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Judge David Pugh accepted Williams, who has no previous convictions, had acted in a manner which was “completely out of character” while fuelled by “excessive” levels of alcohol.

He said: “You grabbed [the first victim] in a headlock, a perfectly innocent young girl out to enjoy an evening. It must have been quite terrifying for her.

“As you – as described by [the second victim] – had her in a headlock, she was turning blue.”

He added: “The security guard intervened by pulling you off [the first victim] and attempted to eject you, during which time you punched [him] in the face a total of three times.”

Williams was sentenced to 30 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to pay £500 to each victim.