A DOORMAN has walked free from court after a nightclub scuffle which ended in a man's jaw being fractured in two places.

Martin Wilby, who pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm at Teesside Crown Court, had been working as an unlicensed doorman at Darlington's Indaba on Saturday, July 29 last year.

Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, said as a group of friends decided to leave at about 1am the following morning, one of them decided to use the toilet.

But Mr Dodds said he was refused entry by some doorstaff, who began punching him.

"He was then put out onto Gladstone Street having sustained two lacerations to the forehead," said Mr Dodds.

But one his friends was spotted by the doorstaff filming the incident on his mobile phone, so they followed the group down the street and demanded the footage be deleted.

At this point, Wilby, 30, of Lawrence Street, Darlington, was shouted at by a taxi driver outside the club.

Wilby thought the cabbie was telling him that one of the group, Stephen Young, had threatened to stab the doorstaff.

Wilby then approached Mr Young from behind and punched him to the face causing him to fall to the ground.

Mr Young, 37, was later treated in hospital for a double fracture to his lower jaw.

Mr Dodds said there had never been any suggestion that Mr Young had said anything to justify the attack.

Rod Hunt, for Wilby, said: "He clearly made an error of judgement. It was a judgement he made in the heat of the moment and he regrets getting it wrong and he is very upset having injured that young man."

Wilby, who was sentenced to 12 months in prison in 2004 after beating someone up with a baseball bat, was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for two years, ordered to pay £1,000 compensation and £500 court costs.