Earl's Court bouncers ‘hit with chair and punched as they tried to end ping pong game’ at hipster bar

Retro games: patrons enjoy playing in the underground Game Bar.
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Violence erupted at a hipster sports bar when customers refused to stop playing ping pong and declared “This is our club now”, the Old Bailey heard.

Bouncers Chris Stwora and Tim Hayes were both attacked when they tried to empty sports venue Game Bar in Earl’s Court at the end of the night.

When Mr Hayes took away the table tennis ball, patrons hurled abuse and attacked the bouncers before throwing objects at staff “cowering” behind the bar, the court was also told.

Mr Stwora was “rushed” by four or five men and hit with a chair and then Mr Hayes was punched repeatedly as he tried to help his colleague. Prosecutor Dominic Benthall said the violence spilled over into the bar, where bottles and a till monitor were thrown.

Kashim Abdul, 31, is standing trial accused of affray and assaulting both the bouncers shortly after 1am on October 3 last year. He was snapped by a student photographer enjoying the retro games — including ping pong, video consoles and giant jenga — at the now-closed underground venue in the hours before violence broke out.

Tadzingwa Gambiza, who admits affray

Mr Benthall said that when Abdul was asked to leave he refused, “aggressively” shouting that it was “their club now and they would do as they wished. To try and bring the game to an end and encourage them to leave, Mr Hayes took the ping pong ball — this didn’t go down well.

“Chris Stwora made a small approach towards the group, further encouraging them to leave, and he got rushed by four or five of this group. Kashim Abdul hit Mr Stwora with a chair from behind.”

Mr Benthall said Mr Hayes was then hit “multiple times for no reason other than because he had asked this group to leave.”

Two other defendants, Daniel Dwyer, 35, and Tadzingwa Gambiza, 24, have admitted affray for their part in the violence as it spilled out into the bar area. “Mr Gambiza chucked an object, possibly a glass, at the bar at the time when several members of staff were cowering under the bar,” Mr Benthall said. “Mr Dwyer chucked first of all a box of straws which probably didn’t have the intended effect, but then picked up a till monitor and threw it at the bar.”

Abdul, of Southampton, has pleaded not guilty and the trial continues.

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