Andrew Abela sustained a broken nose in the attack. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

A 24-year old man was left nursing serious facial injuries after what he claimed was an unprovoked assault by two bouncers in Paceville early yesterday morning.

The assault left Andrew Abela with a broken nose and a cut ear, bruises to his cheek and eye and scratch marks on his neck.

Mr Abela said he entered a club in the centre of Paceville with two friends, and made his way directly to the bathroom, where an unidentified man squeezed past him, inadvertently knocking over a shelf and breaking a number of perfume bottles.

The bathroom attendant, who had not seen the other man leaving, blamed Mr Abela for the damage. The two began to argue, although Mr Abela said neither he nor the attendant behaved aggressively.

At this point, two bouncers approached the door of the bathroom.

“One of them was huge – extremely tall and heavy. Without warning, he sucker-punched me on my left side.

“Before I knew it, the two of them had jumped on me, and I was being hit on all sides,” Mr Abela said.

While the second bouncer held off Mr Abela’s friends, the first carried him out of the club, head-butting him as he threw him on to the street.

Although he reported the matter to police officers stationed in Paceville, just after 2am, he went straight home after the incident, feeling “scared and disoriented,” and having lost a lot of blood.

One of them was huge – extremely tall and heavy. Without warning, he sucker-punched me on my left side

He filed a police report yesterday afternoon.

Mr Abela, who was treated at hospital yesterday afternoon, said he had never seen the bouncer before, nor had he ever been involved in a fight.

He was eager to identify his assailant, and claimed that the police officers he spoke to indicated that the bouncer had already come to their attention on previous occasions. Mr Abela’s father, Joe, said he had trained as a bouncer in his youth and had also been responsible for training bouncers himself.

“A bouncer never has the right – or reason – to throw a punch. Professional bouncers are taught how to control a man almost without touching him,” he said.

Until going to print, the police had not replied to the questions sent. The club in question could not be contacted.

This is the latest in a recent string of violent incidents in the nightlife hub.

Last month, Michelle Sullivan, 45, claimed she was beaten up by two bouncers, only to be informed last Friday she is facing charges of using force with intent to cause injury and disturbing the public peace. The police are also investigating reports that a man was threatened and manhandled by a police sergeant after photographing him in a Paceville gentleman’s club last month.