Montreal Escorts

Kingdom Gentleman's club: manager, doorman found guilty of assault

beardedguy

New Member
Jan 27, 2011
11
0
0
Montreal
(To mods: I hope it's not against rules to post such info. Personnally, I figured it could be informative. You can double-check the story using the links I provided. As well, please feel free to move to another section if I made a mistake in that regard. Thank you!)

In a ruling rendered early in January by la Cour Municipale de Montréal (City of Montreal municipal court), Kingdom Gentlemen Club's manager Richard Blain and doorman Bernard Nicholls were each convicted on a count of assault causing bodily harm and on a count of public mischief. The decision stems from an incident that occured on April 5th, 2008, involving two American tourists who were celebrating their brother's "enterrement de vie de garçon" (could some1 translate that expression for me?). At the end of the evening, two strippers claimed they were owed forty dollars (40$), which the clients denied. One of them, an American Marine, stated that for professional reasons he had no interest in getting into a fight. Nonetheless, the situation quickly turned sour, as the two guys were separated, then punched repeatedly and thrown down the stairway, not before their clothes had been torn. Victims sustained teeth injuries, which required dental work, and suffered from persistent headaches.

In a scathing judgment, magistrate Phillippe Clément called the club's employees' testimonies "ludicrous, unbelievable and totally devoid of logic". The defenders' circumvoluted theory was that a hostile mob of patrons attacked the two Americans, yet became totally altruistic and helped the poor guys get back on their feet after they had tumbled town, or maybe went down by themselves (?), a flight of thirty steps, all the while after coming close to losing consciousness, but losing consciousness totally suddenly, without being hit or even touched. Clément, who did not buy an iota of that version, writes: "No. These American tourists truly have been assaulted, ripped off and let to fend for themselves with almost non-existent means once they were put back onto the street." He continues by stating: "Mr. R. admits that he was slightly drunk, which is normal when celebrating that kind of event. Yet that gives no one a licence to beat him."

As well, the judge is critical of the whole staff for what he calls "a concerted effort" in roughing up the victims. The bussboy, as the last witness heard for the defence, admitted that first and foremost: "il fallait bien se protéger entre nous." ("we had to cover up for each other, between ourselves").

Integrality of the decision, in French, can be found at: (R. vs Nicholls) http://www.jugements.qc.ca/php/deci...050ED5EE39229F3F779CCE0473DFEB30F16653&page=1 or (R. vs Blain) http://www.jugements.qc.ca/php/deci...73F772FD063EE5E226740D94BA47257C3A904B&page=1

(Please feel to translate the whole document, if anyone feels it can be helpful. IMHO it would be only a tad ambitious)

The Court will convene later for sentencing.

On the administrative side, it will be interesting to see if this ruling, notwithstanding an appeal, could spell trouble for the club's liquor license.
 

EagerBeaver

Veteran of Misadventures
Jul 11, 2003
19,164
2,466
113
U.S.A.
Visit site
The bussboy, as the last witness heard for the defence, admitted that first and foremost: "il fallait bien se protéger entre nous." ("we had to cover up for each other, between ourselves").

These kinds of statements in Court, whether you are in front of a Judge (as was the case here) or a jury as likely would have been the case in the US, are going to kill you. I feel bad for the defense attorney because it is difficult to prep these kinds of witnesses (low life types) who are generally not very intelligent, do not receive coaching well and do not even understand the devastating impact that statements like these have to the overall defense. I have had the same thing happen to me in Court and it's no fun when it happens to you. I feel for the defense counsel.
 
Last edited:

wasisname

Banned
Nov 12, 2007
625
0
0
I'd love to see a bouncer, cop, border guard, organized criminals, whatever, try stuff like that on say Bruce Banner [hulk smash] or Clark Kent just after he found out Lois Lane was been having three ways with Batman and Robin and is in a foul mood.

Not a big fan of bullies.
 

beardedguy

New Member
Jan 27, 2011
11
0
0
Montreal
I posted the info however I have to say I've never gotten into a scrap with a bouncer. Never been to Kingdom, tho :-D (My favorite spot is a couple blocks south lol)

I will even say that in some cases you can find doormen with some academic training and/or that are able to remain calm all the while mastering delicate situations. It's not a frequent sight, but it does happen.

Of course, a wrong situation will quickly go out-of-hand if to start with one hires the wrong ppl with the wrong attitude.

As for defence counsel, I would have liked, effectively, to see their face in the courthouse trying to plead a not-winnable case. It's hard for me to comment further, as the judge can get an impression and sometimes a spectator can get a different impression. I wasn't there, I missed that sexy bit of action. *sigh*

(I do agree with EagerBeaver that it must be no fun when a client goes quashing his own chances at winning a case. Thus, empathy is shared)
 
Last edited:

Doc Holliday

Hopelessly horny
Sep 27, 2003
19,290
717
113
Canada
Do you know what a bouncer is? A grown up bully............

Professional bully. However, i've met many bouncers who take their jobs seriously, know the law, and maintain cool heads during misunderstandings. They are quite aware that they're not hired to beat up on the clientele & that this should be avoided at all costs. My experience is that the more aggressive/incompetent bouncers are the ones usually juiced up on massive amounts of steroids/HGH.

Being a bouncer isn't always a picnic. You have to deal with people of all kinds with often unpredictable behaviours. You never know what kind of situation might pop up. That's why it's important that establishments hire competent people who are able to maintain cool heads, earn respect, and make good judgements. Too often, they tend to hire muscle-bound birdbrains with zero social skills. Which is why we often wind up with situations like the one described above.
 
Last edited:

eastender

New Member
Jun 6, 2005
1,911
0
0
Supply and Demand

Professional bully. However, i've met many bouncers who take their jobs seriously, know the law, and maintain cool heads during misunderstandings. They are quite aware that they're not hired to beat up on the clientele & that this should be avoided at all costs. My experience is that the more aggressive/incompetent bouncers are the ones usually juiced up on massive amounts of steroids/HGH.

Being a bouncer isn't always a picnic. You have to deal with people of all kinds with often unpredictable behaviours. You never know what kind of situation might pop up. That's why it's important that establishments hire competent people who are able to maintain cool heads, earn respect, and make good judgements. Too often, they tend to hire muscle-bound birdbrains with zero social skills. Which is why we often wind up with situations like the one described above.

DH Fairly accurate but has to be nuanced.

As long time readers know I worked as a bouncer in SCs from the mid 1970's into the 1980's, pre contact days, with features when the accent was on entertainment.

In the 1970's, after the Blue Bird and Gargantua fires, both criminally set in second floor bars at a total cost of over 40 lives, none of the veteran or quality bouncers would work the second floor or basement clubs. Besides the fire hazard issue, such clubs are much more difficult to work. Potential trouble is already up or down the stairs before you can refuse admission. Street level clubs are easy to control the door and refuse admission. Likewise getting problem or drunk clients out. Drunks do not fall downstairs in street level clubs.

Unless the pay is vastly superior, the good bouncers will always choose to work at street level clubs. Rather obvious who is left to work the second floor or basement clubs - the poor or inexperienced at the lower end of the supply chain.

The club in question is an upstairs club. Evident from the transcript. A few things went wrong - some were not covered by the posted transcript.

Regardless, the following truisms hold.

Touching a customer is a last resort even when seating the customer. This is also true for customers - never initiate contact with a bouncer especially in a fashion that restricts his movement. Also never tell a bouncer anything about your background. Telling him about your martial arts or military experience in a hostile situation will inevitably be viewed as a threat or a challenge. Do not tell him that you will be back or make similar comments since that is viewed as an open invitation to settle the issue right away without dealing with extra people or weapons.

Stag or bachelor parties generate good money for all involved. The timeline from the initial dispute to the altercation seems too short to indicate that a solution was attempted or even possible.

The initial dispute was over an insignificant amount. What went wrong and why did not come out in the transcript. That the dancers were not called to testify or if called their testimony was not referenced in the ruling from the bench.

Unfortunate situation that seems to be the result of all possible negatives converging at the same time.
 

beardedguy

New Member
Jan 27, 2011
11
0
0
Montreal
Additional info can be found in the written judgement, links provided above. As for what is *NOT* into the written ruling, effectively one can only speculate.
 

CLOUD 500

Well-Known Member
Jan 10, 2005
6,792
3,526
113
I know this bouncer Richard Blain very well. I used to be a regular of Kingdom when he was the bouncer. He seemed like a calm guy for the most part. Did not know this is the reason he left this club and decided to work for Bar Le Vegas. But there is always two sides to the story. A guy telling you he is in the military is kind of like challenging you and the bouncer has no idea what some of these are capable off. The best defense is a fast offense and one has to strike first. But for sure he got carried way. A lot of bouncers will get carried away when beating on a customers. I witnessed this many times at a stripclub in Toronto at The Brass Rail in one incident where more then one bouncer was beating on this guy and broke his arm :(. But I might add this guy was massive. Full of muscles must weight well over 220Lbs.
 

IamNY

Well-Known Member
Dec 27, 2005
3,403
1,985
113
NYC
Do you know what a bouncer is? A grown up bully............

I would respectfully disagree with this comment. Most of the bouncers that I know and have met over the years are just normal hard working people trying to make a living. They just happen to be bigger than most. When things get out of hand or a when a knucklehead gets too drunk at the bar and needs to be escorted out you should be happy that they are doing their job so that the nonsense doesn't come your way. As far as throwing people down the stairs and beating them up for a lousy $40 thats just plain old bullshit. Having some experience in the strip club industry, I have seen guys either not have the $40 or just simply refuse to pay it. They are normally just escorted out of the bar and asked not to come back. A girl losing a few dollars is nothing compared to having the club shut down or going to jail whether it's $40 or $400.
 

EagerBeaver

Veteran of Misadventures
Jul 11, 2003
19,164
2,466
113
U.S.A.
Visit site
Bouncers are Human

I remember an ongoing drama thread on one of the NYC boards, involving a poster who identified himself as a bouncer and claimed he had fallen for one of the strippers working at his club. He continually posted questions about what he should do to win her over as his girlfriend, This may sound like shilling for the club, but he never identified it, and furthermore the nature and content of his posts identified him as a likely authentic bouncer-poster. This thread drama continued for some time as he would post extremely naive but well intentioned questions and was gently ridiculed by the board membership. I pictured the guy as possibly an Oliver Kloseoff type character, in part because his grammar was not very good and he seemed to have a Kloseoffesque view of the world. I think he eventually did have a relationship with the stripper, but it ended badly. She then became his stalker and he would detail her stalking activities in the thread, further enhancing the drama of the thread. This guy really seemed to be living in a different world, and I began to feel sorry for him. He feared going to LE because he felt it would make him look like a sissy to his peers at the strip club. I then realized how important it is for these guys to project a macho image at all times, even though they can feel threatened like the rest of us. He was just a big emotional gorilla, that poster.

I have never had a problem with a bouncer, though I have seen patrons get roughed up and bounced out the door at US strip clubs. Most of these incidents involved customers who had too much to drink getting shitty with the girls, either physically or usually verbally. I did one time a witness a guy cut a stripper with a broken bottle at a strip club in Bridgeport, CT, and 2 bouncers then executed the most violent bounce I have ever seen. It is not always an easy job!
 
Last edited:

Techman

The Grim Reaper
Dec 23, 2004
4,199
0
0
I know this bouncer Richard Blain very well. I used to be a regular of Kingdom when he was the bouncer. He seemed like a calm guy for the most part. Did not know this is the reason he left this club and decided to work for Bar Le Vegas. But there is always two sides to the story. A guy telling you he is in the military is kind of like challenging you and the bouncer has no idea what some of these are capable off. The best defense is a fast offense and one has to strike first. But for sure he got carried way. A lot of bouncers will get carried away when beating on a customers. I witnessed this many times at a stripclub in Toronto at The Brass Rail in one incident where more then one bouncer was beating on this guy and broke his arm :(. But I might add this guy was massive. Full of muscles must weight well over 220Lbs.

Striking first will only end up putting you in jail and probably getting your ass sued in court. No bouncer has the right to do anything more than get control of a situation, they don't have the right to beat the shit out of anyone no matter how bad things get. I've known a lot of bouncers in my life and for the most part they were just normal guys doing a tough job but a guy that gets carried away and beats on people doesn't have the right temperment to be a bouncer and is only an accident waiting to happen.
 

CLOUD 500

Well-Known Member
Jan 10, 2005
6,792
3,526
113
Striking first will only end up putting you in jail and probably getting your ass sued in court. No bouncer has the right to do anything more than get control of a situation, they don't have the right to beat the shit out of anyone no matter how bad things get. I've known a lot of bouncers in my life and for the most part they were just normal guys doing a tough job but a guy that gets carried away and beats on people doesn't have the right temperment to be a bouncer and is only an accident waiting to happen.

You are right about that. But consider this that bouncers are human beings also and that they can also get mad. Just saying a guy saying he is in the military might be perceived as a challenge. Why does the guy even need to mention this? It is irrelevant in this situation unless he was trying to intimidate the bouncer. Who knows what kind of people come into the club some might be harmless and some might be a ticking bomb. In any case Richard obviously took it too far. But there are always two sides to a story and have yet to hear the other side as to how the bouncer was provoked and I am sure he was provoked. I have seen some guys when are getting booted out of the club and being escorted out and they resist. At Solid Gold I remember this one situation and the bouncer pushed the guy and he fell to the floor.

BTW I never said beating the shit out of the guy was acceptable.
 

captainkirk

Active Member
Mar 26, 2009
170
64
28
I was a bouncer for 10 years. I'm 6'5" and around 300lbs. People are for the most part ecumenical, you try to keep your cool but you are only human. People pretentious to say hi they hit you or pull a weapon. I've been shot at, stabbed several times and had a few guns pulled on me. It changes you when you work in a dangerous place. You become meaner...darker...not saying he was right..just saying don't jump to condemn him
 

beardedguy

New Member
Jan 27, 2011
11
0
0
Montreal
"But there are always two sides to a story and have yet to hear the other side [..]"

With regards, I have to say that is incorrect. The defendants did testify, unfortunately for them their testimonies did not raise a reasonable doubt. That's different from not being heard. As for not speaking up on this board specifically, that's normal if they are awaiting sentencing. A judge HAS to hear both sides (audi alteram partem) otherwise that's grounds for appeal. The magistrate makes finding of facts in view of the evidence available before him, he doesn't simply pick the side he likes best.

I would add that in Quebec courts are prone to acquit security staff whenever there is reasonable doubt they were only carrying out their professional duties.

The complainant testified (please read provided links, again) he mentioned being in the military because rules PROHIBIT him from getting into a scrap. It might not have happened like that IRL, but nonetheless this part of the testimony was never contradicted.

As well, "I was being provoked" is never a good argument. Any sensible person should decline an invitation to get into a fight. Security guys, even more so.

(BTW, I posted short summary of ruling only as public info, not with aim to fingerpoint "this guy good" or "this guy bad". Ppl here are sued in criminal court for their actions, nothing else. But yes- names are public unless the court orders otherwise)
 
Toronto Escorts