A DOORMAN who used a stun gun on a clubber while his colleagues pinned him to the ground has walked free from court.

Nicholas Hunter zapped the victim, who had been thrown out of Suju the night after Sian O’Callaghan had gone missing from the Old Town nightspot.

But after hearing how the 51-year-old, who also works as a driving instructor, said he ‘lost it’ because of the pressure of work a judge imposed a suspended sentence.

Hunter was working on the door of the club on March 19 and into the early hours of the following morning.

At about 4am Christopher Styles and a friend were ejected from the club because other doormen thought they were taking drugs in the toilet.

Mr Styles said the pair had been in a cubicle together because he had just split from a girlfriend and his friend was consoling him.

Once outside, the clubbers became abusive to the doormen and Mr Styles was pinned down by three doormen including Hunter, who had been called to assist.

The bouncer then pulled the weapon from his pocket and used it on the victim, who was pinned face down by three security men.

Taxi driver George Beare, who was parked nearby, said he couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the weapon discharged into the youth as he was being pinned down.

He dialled 999 to get the police to investigate as he said he ‘thought it was totally over the top’.

When Hunter was spoken to he claimed he had taken the weapon from another clubber earlier in the evening and had not had time to put it in a box for seizures.

He said he had not made a note of the name of the lad who had it, but had thrown him out of the club.

After he was arrested he admitted he had lied to the police, telling them he had not used the device.

But when the matter came to court, he admitted he had used it on the victim saying he ‘lost it’ and got it from his pocket in the heat of the moment.

Hunter, of Hoarwithy, near Hereford, pleaded guilty to common assault and possessing a prohibited weapon.

Recorder Michael Vere-Hodge QC imposed an eight-month jail term suspended for 18 months and told him to complete 100 hours of community service.

He also ordered he pay £150 compensation to Mr Styles and £200 costs within the next six months.