A barman has been ordered to pay £500 compensation to a customer who suffered a knee fracture when he was ejected from a club.

Deklan Gadsden was working as a barman in Chad’s Bar in Huddersfield town centre when he went to assist doormen who were escorting Louis Donaghey from the premises on December 8 last year.

Simon Kealey, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court yesterday Mr Donaghey was forcibly pushed out down some steps and once on the ground was kicked to the torso by Gadsden.

But it was when Mr Donaghey tried to stand he realised his leg had been injured in the drop from the steps.

He was taken to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and an X-ray on his knee showed a tibial medial fracture which was operated on.

He was seen again in January when the plateau was found to have collapsed and he was given a brace to wear and sent for physiotherapy.

Mr Kealey told the court because of the type of injury Mr Donaghey could be left with stiffness and a risk of wear in the joint.

When he was seen by police Gadsden said he had gone to assist doormen after Mr Donaghey got in a fight and was being ejected. He was flailing his arms about and he had told him to calm down and claimed he had pulled away at the steps and he saw him falling down.

Keith Whitehouse, representing Gadsden, said it was a most unfortunate incident. The injury happened when the complainant stumbled and the pair had “hurtled” down the steep steps with Mr Donaghey crashing to the pavement.

Gadsden had no idea of the other man’s injury when he gave him a “nonchalant” kick to the torso which had played no part in the injury but of which he was ashamed. He had never been in trouble before and was now working part-time for his father.

Gadsden, 27, of Mulberry Court, Golcar, admitted causing grievous bodily harm and in addition to compensation was given an 11-month jail sentence suspended for 12 months with 200 hours unpaid work.

Recorder Alison Hunt told him: “It is clear you exerted too much force on Mr Donaghey that night taking him down what are clearly steep steps with stone steps at the bottom, and you knew them to be steep steps.”