A Pembroke man who threatened to ‘stamp on the head’ of a bouncer and ‘cave’ it in has been ordered to complete 50 hours of unpaid work in the community after admitting a charge of using threatening behaviour.

Twenty-one-year-old Patrick Bernard McDonagh, of Green Meadow Avenue, pleaded guilty to a charge of using threatening and abusive behaviour with intent to cause that person to believe that immediate unlawful violence would be used against them, when he appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Prosecutor Vaughan Pritchard-Jones told the court that the incident took place after midnight on September 23, when Mr. McDonagh was trying to enter a licensed premises in Pembroke.

“He initially started arguing with the doormen of the pub. The complainant, who was one of the bouncers, stood there with his arms behind his back and listened to the confrontation,” he said.

The court heard how Mr. McDonagh then told the door staff ‘you’re not going to stop me getting in’ before threatening the complainant with the words ‘I’ll fight you old man. I’ll cave your head in and do eight years for you. I’ll stamp on your head’.

“Mr. McDonagh, who was bouncing around on his feet then adopted a boxer’s stance before lifting his shirt up and showing off his abs,” continued Mr. Pritchard-Jones, stating that the defendant then repeated the words ‘I’ll stamp on your head’ before mimicking stamping on the floor.

“He then came up and punched the complainant to the side of his head causing a cut and came back threatening again. In self-defence, the bouncer punched Mr. McDonagh once, and he fell to the ground unconscious.

“Mr. McDonagh was the author of his own misfortune, as he had been given plenty of opportunity to walk away,” added Mr. Pritchard-Jones, telling the court that he had one previous conviction for drink driving earlier in the year.

Defence solicitor Jonathan Webb told the court that his client had consumed far too much alcohol that night.

“There was lots of bravado and gesticulating from him, something that the bouncers would probably see 10 times a night.

“On this occasion, he put his hands on the complainant and was hit quite forcefully back with one punch, and was left dumped on the side of the pavement. Up until that point, my client is completely out of order, but what happens after that is possibly another matter. In my opinion, two wrongs don’t make a right.

“Mr. McDonagh was going through a bad patch at the time, hanging around with the wrong people and drinking to excess.

“He is a footballer with a local team and has got back on track now with his sport. He is not the same person now that he was back then,” added Mr. Webb.

Mr. Pritchard-Jones stated to the court that the bouncer who was punched and threatened by Mr. McDonagh, had not committed any criminal offence whatsoever in defending himself.

Magistrates ordered Mr. McDonagh to undertake 50 hours of unpaid work in the community as punishment for the offence, and pay £75 compensation to his victim.

He was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85 and an £85 victim surcharge.