Drunk bouncer attacked woman and doctor, 54

A BOUNCER launched a vicious attack on a doctor, kicked a woman to the floor and then tried to headbutt a police officer during a night of “drunken, mindless violence”.

Keiron Beere, 20, assaulted Aram Aran in Cardiff city centre when the 54-yearold doctor tried to protect his girlfriend.

Beere, one of three men involved in the assault, grabbed the doctor’s girlfriend, Naoval Chair-Zbakh, in a “bear hug” in Westgate Street.

But when Dr Aran told the group to leave her alone, Beere attacked his victim, which left him needing hospital treatment.

The doctor, who has lived in the UK since the 1990s, is from northern Iraq and is a British subject. Ms Chair-Zbakh is from Spain.

Describing the attack, which happened at 11pm on May 24, prosecutor Ian Colvin yesterday told Cardiff Crown Court: “They had been out in Cardiff going to see a band and the incident happened at the end of the evening.

“A group of three men approached them and they were intoxicated. Dr Aran saw one of the males grab his girlfriend from behind and told them, ‘Don’t touch my girlfriend, don’t do that.’

“The defendant replied, ‘This is my country, you don’t tell me to go away.’ He then pushed Dr Aran to his shoulder and the girlfriend tried to calm things down but that did not work.

“The defendant punched Dr Aran repeatedly and kicked him. There were numerous punches to his head and face, which caused him to fall to the floor.

“Dr Aran recollects he was kicked five times to his head and face, and one of the other males kicked him as well. He felt extreme pain to his nose, which started to bleed.”

The defendant and the other males then ran off towards St Mary Street and bystanders helped Dr Aran, who called the police.

He was later found to have sustained a broken nose in the attack.

In a statement, Dr Aran said he believes the attack took place because of his descent and the colour of his skin and was motivated by racism.

He said he felt fearful for his safety and that of Ms Chair-Zbakh, and now feels “traumatised, disappointed blame” for the attack.

As a result of the assault, Dr Aran had to take time off work and felt as if he had “let down” his patients.

Ms Chair-Zbakh said she felt “nervous and anxious” as a result of the attack and is no longer able to live the social life that she used to previously.

After this incident, Beere and the two males went on to an area near the Great Western pub and were described as acting “inappropriately”.

Tamara Jepson asked them what was going on when Beere turned to her, called her a “smackhead” and kicked her, causing her to fall backwards on to the floor.

Police arrived and arrested Beere, who was put in handcuffs and leg restraints.

Despite this, he told officers he would “make life difficult” for them and tried to headbutt PC Chris Hutchinson, grazing his cheek.

In his police interview, Beere claimed he had been punched by the doctor first and he had acted in self-defence, but he later pleaded guilty to a racially aggravated assault occasioning ABH and three counts of assault by beating.

Byron Broadstock, defending, said Beere’s only explanation for his behaviour was the effect alcohol had upon him.

He claimed that racism was not the motivation for his behaviour but he had acted “without reason” because of the amount of alcohol he had consumed.

Mr Broadstock also said Beere had been affected by the death of his grandfather, who had been unlawfully killed in 2015, and had turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism.

Sentencing, Judge Stephen Hopkins QC said: “This is yet another case of mindless drunken violence at night in central Cardiff, your victims being totally innocent members of the public and a police officer.

“The doctor, a British citizen, having worked hard and selflessly for the NHS, described his condition of what you did to him as traumatised and had never in our country experienced racism until this time.

“It’s said on your behalf that you’re not inherently racist but that is not the impression one gets of your behaviour on the night in question.”

Beere, of Horle Close, Grangetown, Cardiff, was sentenced to two years and six months’ detention at a young offender institution. and to