Bouncer who killed peacemaking grandfather at Oldbury charity event jailed for six years

Doorman Nicholas Salhan was today sentenced to six years and eight months in prison after admitting the manslaughter of 45-year-old grandfather Inderjit Singh Dhariwal.

Fellow bouncer Jonathan Davies was jailed for two years and four months after admitting a charge of affray.

Mr Dhariwal died after being attacked by Salhan, of Haybridge Avenue, Stourbridge, and Davies, of Old Bridge Walk, Rowley Regis, at a fundraising event at Samsons Banqueting Suite in Rood End Road.

Violence flared when the doormen lost patience with guests who were still eating and drinking an hour after the supposed end of the dinner and dance in the early hours of November 22.

Davies began to push out and shout at guests and lost his temper when Mr Dhariwal intervened in an effort to calm the situation.

One witness told how Mr Dhariwal said "stop what you are doing ... there's no need for that kind of behaviour," before being assaulted by Davies who, along with Salhan, carried on throwing punches at guests for several minutes.

Several people were kicked and punched in the developing fracas during which Salhan delivered the fatal blow and Davies continued to punch and kick out at guests.

Mr Dhariwal was left lying unconscious on the floor, struggling for breath and having a brain haemorrhage. He was taken to hospital where he was placed in an induced coma but later died.

Mr Dhariwal's daughter Pooja paid tribute to her father.

The 21-year-old said: "Our father was the kindest soul on the planet. He put everybody before himself and was always willing to help.

"He had many big things to look forward to: his 50th birthday, both of my brothers 21st birthdays, his granddaughters 1st birthday and many more.

"Our dad meant the world to us and his loss has shaken the family as well as the community. Our lives will never be the same without our taxi, our friend, our confidant, our dad.

Neither Salhan or Davies offered any assistance to the dying man and left the premises as police and paramedics arrived.

Davies was arrested at his home on the day Mr Dhariwal died and Salhan was detained after voluntarily going to a police station shortly afterwards. Both had previous convictions for violence.

Senior investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector Martin Slevin, said: "Mr Dhariwal was an innocent party. Davies became embroiled in a row and fight with a group of men and when he tried intervening he was fatally punched by Salhan.

"These two men were hired to keep the peace and ensure people had a safe, enjoyable night but instead they abused their position by viciously attacking several guests.

"Mr Dhariwal's family and friends are devastated at his loss; his daughter penned a very touching tribute in the days after her father's death. I hope they can take some comfort from knowing their dad's killer has been put behind bars."

In an interview, 43-year-old Davies told police a man had been "giving him daggers" for talking to a female partygoer and that he was attacked first.

Salhan claimed he was trying to diffuse the melee and had been protecting his fellow doorman from a group of angry revellers.

Both men were initially accused of murdering Mr Dhariwal, but these charges were dropped and at Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday Salhan pleaded guilty to manslaughter and Jonathan Davies admitted affray.

Mr Dhariwal, who came to England in 1991 and worked for BMW in Oxford, has three children aged between 18 and 22.

His oldest child Pooja, who has a baby of her own, said in a victim impact statement: "We have suffered a great loss and nothing can ever be the same. It has broken us all.

"We wake up thinking why did this happen to a man who never laid a finger on anybody and didn't know how to fight back. This was a vicious, unprovoked, attack and we have to live with the fact that two grown up men took him out of our lives."

The judge concluded that Mr Dhariwal had been merely acting as a peacemaker 'concerned only in the safety of others'.