Thursday 2 June 2016

Bonnie Prince Charlie Star's 'Last Call' Pub Assault

Bonnie: Jamie Bacon
A young actor who stars in the title role of the latest Bonnie Prince Charlie historical epic attacked a bar manager when his girlfriend was refused an after-hours drink.

Jamie Bacon, 24, is set to play the Jacobite pretender in the multi-million pound production of movie The Great Getaway, which is due to start filming in Scotland later this year.

He was picked to play the role of Charles Edward Stuart - who was defeated at Culloden in 1746 - by Scottish writer-director Robbie Moffat, who is rumoured to have also cast Kristen Stewart  and Brendan Gleeson.

Bacon and actress girlfriend Beatrice Colwyn-Foulkes, 22, were celebrating her final performance at Arts Educational, a drama school near The Tabard pub, Bath Road, Chiswick.

He splits his time between his parents residence at Carina Court, Banks Road, Sandbanks, Poole, Dorset and her Battersea home and is also an alumni of Arts Educational.

Bar manager Saman Aljaf, 27, told Feltham Magistrates Court yesterday the pub stopped serving at midnight on December 6, last year.

"The defendant walked behind the bar and said: 'C'mon mate, you can serve one more' and I started to guide him, using very gentle force, away.

"People don't usually act with that level of arrogance or confidence to walk behind the bar," added the manger, who told Bacon he had the power to bar him from the premises. 

"He was resisting and reluctantly moving backwards and did push me in the chest and said: 'Don't touch me, don't touch me.'

Attacked: Saman Aljaf
"He said: 'F*** you, you can't tell me what to do, you can't bar me' and became progressively more defiant.

"He said if I tried to take his drink off him, he'd put me on the floor. He said: 'I've paid for this drink, I'm not going outside.'

"I said: 'Just f***ing leave now' because my staff were getting distressed and I put my hands on his shoulders with open palms to usher him out of the door.

"He immediately grabbed the scruff of my neck by the back of my shirt and forced me against the wall with his full body weight, his full force. It was a heavy thud.

"He still had a bottle of cider in his hand and I was afraid he'd bottle me.

"He did seem intoxicated, but not really drunk, but whatever he had gave him the confidence to do what he did.

"I had a bit of a sore neck, a fabric burn where he grabbed me."

Barmaid Michaela Burton, 24, called the police and told the court: "I saw Saman being pulled back by his shirt, which was tight around his neck and his neck was pulled backwards.

"The defendant kept saying: 'Come outside.' It was like he wanted to fight," added the New Zealander.

"His group were making fun of my accent and were egging the situation on. One woman said to me: 'Come outside so I can put you on the ground'."

Collusion: Beatrice Colwyn-Foulkes
Prosecutor Mr. Vijay Khuttan said: "The defendant's girlfriend was seeking more alcohol and accepted the explanation, but the defendant demanded alcohol.

"He became boisterous and aggressive and when ushered away said he would not leave and would fight anybody.

"Mr. Aljaf ushered him out by placing his hands on him and the defendant got hold of the back of his shirt, around the neck, and pushed him against the wall.

"The friends of the defendant intervened and prised him away from the manager." 

Bacon, who has two convictions for violence as a teenager, told the court he had two glasses of wine earlier in the evening and went behind the bar in an attempt to get served by a barmaid he knew.

"The bar manager came aggressively at me and grabbed the top part of my chest and began pushing me backwards, shouting at me to: 'F*** off.'

"In self-defence I've pushed his arms off me and went outside with my girlfriend. Twenty minutes later the police turned up and arrested me in front of everyone."

Bacon spent the night in police cells and when questioned nine hours later told officers the bar manager was: "Heavy-handed and aggressive."

Mr. Khuttan asked him: "You wanted your friend the barmaid to break the law to serve you and your friends drinks?"

Beatrice backed-up her boyfriends's account saying: "He pushed back in self-defence when the manager aggressively moved towards him. It was quite scary."

She had enjoyed a champagne dinner with her family and Bacon after the play and the pair joined around 30 drama students who had been drinking all night at the pub.

"Arrogant": Young Star
However, magistrate Mr. Chris Hack rejected both their accounts: "There may have been some collusion and your evidence was less than credible," he told Bacon.

"We believe Mr. Aljaf and his account that you grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against the wall

"This was an unfortunate incident that got out of hand and you assaulted Mr. Aljaf during an intentional act of aggression."

Bacon was found guilty of assaulting the manager and was fined £180, with £400 costs and was ordered to pay £50 compensation to Mr. Aljaf and a £20 victim surcharge.

"We have hear the facts of this case and the seriousness of it," added Mr. Hack who heard Bacon assaulted a bouncer 6 years ago and was convicted of actual bodily harm as a youth.

"There's clearly a little bit of a pattern and we should caution you as to your future actions. We don't want to see you in court again. We don't think you are a bad person."

Bacon's lawyer Mr. Andrew Moxon told the magistrates: ''He is a very pleasant and likeable young man who went behind the bar maybe trying to impress the ladies by getting them a drink."

He said the young actor, who is supported financially by his parents, has no alcohol or drug issues. 

Outside court Mr. Aljaf said: "He was arrogant, like he was above us and we could not tell him what to do."

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