A Shropshire doorman accused of the manslaughter of a county father-of-four today told a jury he had acted properly when he restrained the man at a nightclub.

Daryl Brown told the jury at Birmingham Crown Court today he had been a doorman for six years and on the night in question he had only tried to restrain 41-year-old Darren Griffiths to stop him acting aggressively.

Brown, 33, of Severn Drive, Wellington, denies the manslaughter of Mr Griffiths, who died following an incident at the Liquid & Diva nightclub in Raven Meadows, Shrewsbury, on June 29, last year.

Today Brown told the jury he had “acted properly” on the night when he restrained Mr Griffiths, from Harmer Hill, near Shrewsbury, along with other door staff at the club.

Brown said: “I didn’t realise how seriously injured he was.”

Blue

Mr Paul Farrer, prosecuting, said: “Mr Griffiths had turned blue in colour from the neck up and despite you tending to him for eight minutes you claim you didn’t see the colour of his face.

“This man was unconscious for at least eight minutes. Are you really maintaining you didn’t really know how seriously injured Mr Griffiths was?”

But Brown said he was not aware how seriously injured Mr Griffiths was.

Yesterday Brown told the jury Mr Griffiths had been refused entry to the club because he was “too intoxicated”.

However Mr Griffiths insisted on being let in, even telling staff that he was the club owner, Brown told the jury.

He said Mr Griffiths and a friend were told they were turned away because the friend had tracksuit bottoms on, which is against the dress code.

But the man had a spare pair of trousers in his rucksack and went away to get changed, however when they returned they were again told they could not get in, Brown said.

Brown added that at one point the situation turned aggressive. He said Mr Griffiths “walked over with his fists clenched and I then joined the scene and went to try and restrain Mr Griffiths by getting my hand around his arm and taking it around his back”.

Brown said the group of three doormen and Mr Griffiths then moved inside the club. The trial continues.

By Emma Kasprzak and Andrew Morris