Bouncer blow leaves man hard of hearing
A MAN has been left with serious hearing problems after he was attacked by a bouncer outside a popular Darwin nightclub.
James Thomas was having a drink in Monsoons alone in January when a group of bouncers told him to leave.
After initially asking what the problem was, Mr Thomas walked out of the Mitchell St club.
However, as he stepped on to the footpath, one of the bouncers, a 28-year-old, hit him across the side of the head from behind, bursting his eardrum and knocking him to the ground giving him a severe concussion.
“They were like four of them behind me, I turned around questioning why I was being sent out, and as I got out of the entrance on the pavement, not even on the premises, one of them smacked me on the back the head,” Mr Thomas said.
“Instantly my hearing was completely gone.”
The traveller, who was completing his three months in Australia in order to obtain a second year of his working visa, eventually “staggered to (his) feet” and walked around the corner, where he called the police.
The next day, when Mr Thomas woke up, he discovered blood coming out of his ear. He also couldn’t remember what day it was, so a friend insisted he head to the Royal Darwin Hospital.
“I was concussed for a week and had a completely perforated eardrum,” he said.
“To date I’ve still got blood and mucus coming out of my ear.”
The Welshman had planned to stay in the Territory for longer after his three months were up but the incident left him fearful for his safety.
“I just didn’t want to go out any more,” he said.
“Darwin’s not a very big place and having to bump into that same person.”
Mr Thomas still has almost no hearing in his left ear except for a “constant ringing”.
“It’s obviously affected me, it plays on my mind when I go out. And then there’s the physical damage which has cost me hundreds of dollars. It’s awful to be honest,” he said. Maurice Blackburn associate John Rule said the firm was investigating a claim against the bouncer, with the aim of recouping Mr Thomas’s medical expenses.
“James has been left with ongoing hearing loss and tinnitus and it’s important the responsible party is held to account,” he said.
NT Police confirmed the 28-year-old bouncer was initially charged with aggravated assault and was given a six-month good behaviour bond by the courts.
It is not known whether the bouncer is still employed by Monsoons. The club was contacted for comment.