A PUB landlord unleashed a violent attack on a cleaner with learning difficulties, repeatedly hitting him with a pool cue following a vile bullying campaign, a court heard this week. Stuart Manchester is said to have barred Daniel Clark, 29, from entering The Seven Stars in Farnham after he quit his job when the bar manager would not give him a day off. Manchester allegedly threatened and shouted abuse at Mr Clark on several occasions until the late-night attack in a dark alleyway. The victim had been waiting for a friend outside when the landlord spotted him and chased him down the street. Barmen Robert Smith, 21, and Ross Davison followed their boss and are said to have repeatedly punched the defenceless cleaner as he lay on the ground. Mr Clark was later treated for a fractured eye socket, bruises and cuts. Manchester and Davison have both pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm, but Mr Smith, of Baldreys, Farnham, faced trial at Guildford Crown Court where he denied the same charge. But after Mr Clark told the jury that Smith only punched him once in the chest, Judge Michael Addison directed the jury to return a not guilty verdict. The defendant admitted common assault. Lawrence Aiolfi, prosecuting, told the court that the landlord bullied the cleaner "over a period of time" up until the attack just after midnight on June 10 last year. He said: "In particular, Daniel Clark's employment came to an end in about March 2006 following a disagreement with Mr Manchester about taking a day off. "After he stopped working there Mr Manchester barred him from The Seven Stars public house - he was not allowed to enter it. "There were a number of occasions when Mr Manchester, the prosecution say, had seen or noticed Daniel Clark in the street outside The Seven Stars public house and threatened him and shouted verbal abuse towards him." Then on June 10 Mr Clark was enjoying a night out in the town, but wanted to meet a friend who was drinking in The Seven Stars. His mobile phone battery was flat so he waited outside the pub for his friend to come out. Mr Aiolfi said: "He was seen by Stuart Manchester, the manager, who rushed out and with a piece of stick or a pool cue chased Mr Clark down the street into an alleyway. "It is there, the prosecution say, Mr Manchester struck him repeatedly with this piece of stick or pool cue." Mr Clark's friend hurried after the landlord and shouted at him to stop before pulling him away and a scuffle broke out, the jury heard. The terrified cleaner scrambled to his feet and fled but was allegedly followed along East Street by Davison and Mr Smith. Mr Aiolfi said that passers-by witnessed the two men walking alongside the victim "jostling him in the street and suggesting that he ran". He added: "When he did then run they were catching up with him and telling him to run again." The court heard that witnesses saw that Mr Clark was floored outside the BBQ shop and the men punched him while he was on the ground. Mr Smith told officers in his first police interview that he did not leave the pub during the assault, but when he was later quizzed again he admitted that he followed the victim because he wanted to ask him about a scratch on his car. He claimed that Davison punched Mr Clark repeatedly, but he only punched him once in the chest. The three men are due to be sentenced on December 7.
