THREE doormen have been cleared of starting trouble at a Burnley nightclub.

Victor Docherty, 28, the only defendant whose fate was left in the hands of a jury, was found not guilty of affray, unlawful wounding, assault causing actual bodily harm and two counts of common assault, after a three-day trial.

His co-defendants, Michael Coupe, 34, of Altham Street, Padiham and John Duckworth, 28, of Hallam Road, Nelson, had earlier been acquitted on the direction of Recorder Alistair Webster, QC.

Giving evidence, Docherty, a 6ft 5in tall police boxer, who no longer works at Genesis, on Hammerton Street, said he did not hit anybody.

The defendant, a licensed doorman, who fights for Lancashire Constabulary and is rated fifth in the country in the cruiser weight, told the jury how a scuffle started and erupted into something like a scene from the wild west. Docherty, of Burnley Road East, Waterfoot, then a doorman for several years said: "In all the years I have done it, I have never seen anything like it."

Questioned by his counsel, Michael Lavery, the defendant told the court he had a difficult background and started to offend when he found himself homeless, but had no convictions for violence. He started door work when he was 19. Docherty explained: "The only thing going for me was my size."

Docherty said he underwent vigorous and disciplined training as a boxer and fought for Lancashire Constabulary, when he was "passed off as a police officer." On the night of the alleged offences, last September, the "atmosphere just changed" and his attention was drawn to a scuffle.

People were screaming, his manager was on the floor and he wanted to get to him. He grabbed a lad he thought was involved and he took him out.

Docherty went on: "There were bodies strewn all over the place and I got a few slaps and kicks."

He wanted to get those hurt out. Mr Lavery: "Did you punch anybody?" The defendant: "No, I didn't."

Docherty, accused of assaulting two men and two women, said the claims he thumped women hurt most of all. He told the jury: "I have more pride than that.

"As a boxer, I will fight with somebody my own size but I wouldn't punch a woman in the face.

"I have never had anything like this said about me in all these years."

Asked by Mr Lavery why he thought the allegations had been made against him, Docherty replied some of the witnesses had been racist and went on: "I was always a bit different from the others. I didn't get involved.

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