A 26-year-old man is in an induced coma after being allegedly king hit by a security guard at the Mean Fiddler hotel in Rouse Hill on Saturday.
Stephen Sims was standing behind his brother and friends while waiting for a taxi at 2am when a security guard hit him from behind, breaking his jaw and knocking him unconscious, witnesses say. Mr Sims then fractured his skull when he hit the pavement.
''Steve wasn't waking up. It was probably 10 minutes before we got a response and he just opened his mouth and blood came out everywhere,'' his friend Allex Conley, 22, said.
A clash between a group of young men, including Mr Sims, and security guards had occurred earlier that evening but tensions had calmed by the time Mr Sims was hit.
Another man was allegedly choked by a security guard and dragged, unconscious, out of the pub by his neck. ''This security guard was up on the stage, grabbed him around the neck and I'm screaming at the security guard to let him go, 'You're going to kill him!','' Ms Conley said. ''His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out and the security didn't let go of him, he just dragged him out like that with his arms around his neck.''
The victim's brother, Michael Sims, said he suffered severe facial injuries and bruised ribs after a number of security guards attacked him on the ground, kicking him and gouging his eyes.
''I was on the ground, they eye gouged me, dislocated my thumb. They said, 'Oh yeah, how do you like that you f---ing idiot?''' he said.
The trouble continued outside the hotel where witnesses claim up to 12 security guards where waiting for the evicted group.
A number of security guards are alleged to have continued to attack Michael Sims while he was on the ground, causing three women to place themselves between him and the guards.
''I had no idea where they came from but it was as if they were waiting for a fight and they all just attacked. To have to have myself, my sister and a random girl to get the guards off them was just so unfair. It was the most unfair thing I've ever seen,'' Ms Conley said.
Castle Hill police are investigating the incident and are analysing CCTV footage from the Mean Fiddler as well as interviewing witnesses.
''We are investigating the matter, we're waiting for the gentleman to come out of a coma,'' the Castle Hill Chief Inspector, Paul van Dyke, said. ''What I've been told, it was a pretty big hit to the head or something, so we're more concerned with his health and wellbeing at the moment.''
Management from the Mean Fiddler would not comment on the incident or the actions of their staff but are assisting the police with their investigation.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald, 31 July 2012
