AN engineer out celebrating his impending fatherhood assaulted and racially abused bouncers trying to throw him out of a pub, a court was told.

David Jaeckel was with friends in the William Stead, in Crown Street, on November 9 last year.

Darlington Magistrates’ Court heard on Tuesday (February 4) that he had gone out to celebrate the fact his partner was due to give birth.

Prosecutor John Garside said one of Jaeckel’s friends was told to leave the pub by two bouncers.

He added: “The defendant remained in the pub and was verbally abusive to door staff.

“As he was being escorted to the door, he grabbed a handle which prevented him being removed.

“He punched the door supervisor in the face, causing him to be knocked to the floor."

The court was told when the defendant was removed from the pub, he stood outside shouting abuse at the door staff.

“He then walked away a short distance and was seen fiddling with something in his pocket at waist height,” Mr Garside said.

When police arrived, 27-year-old Jaeckel was found to have a 23cm beer skimmer – a tool used to scoop froth from the top of pints – tucked in the waistband of his trousers.

The doorman suffered two chipped teeth.

Jaeckel admitted assault, racially aggravated harassment and possessing a pointed article.

Lyanne Steinberg, mitigating, said Jaeckel, of Finchale Crescent, Darlington, felt he had been provoked by door staff as they tried to usher him down a flight of stairs.

She said: “Staff were manhandling him and he has pushed one of them off him.

“He accepts he may well have hit him in the mouth, but it was not a deliberate punch, it was more to get him away.

“He believes that the situation could have been handled better.”

Miss Steinberg said the racial slurs had been said ‘in the heat of the moment, in anger’ and that Jaeckel was sorry.

Jaeckel had ‘gone out for a last drink before taking on the responsibility of parenthood’, said Miss Steinberg.

Sentencing was adjourned for reports and Jaeckel was bailed until February 25, on condition that he does not enter the William Stead.