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April 10th, 2013 
Peter Nolan
Updated
The Victorian Supreme Court has heard three Crown Casino bouncers abused their positions of power when they violently assaulted two patrons in 2011.
Security officers Quoch Tran, 34, Jaques Fucile, 31, and 27-year-old Nicholas Levchenko are on trial for assault, recklessly causing serious injury, intentionally causing injury and false imprisonment.
The court heard Olivia Ferguson and her partner Matthew Anderson were violently thrown to the floor of the casino after their friend, Anthony Dunning, was asked to leave the casino for being drunk.
Opening the case, prosecutor Andrew Tinney SC, told the jury that Ms Ferguson was slammed to the floor and pinned down after she slapped Tran, a supervisor, with as much force as a “powder puff”.
It is alleged that while she was forcibly held down, the bouncers abused her calling her a “slut” and a “whore”.
The jury heard within seconds, her partner was also thrown to the ground face first for no reason, then forcibly and painfully restrained “like an animal”.
He suffered a broken nose and elbow.
The casino’s highly sophisticated security system captured the drama as it unfolded on the gambling floor.
The CCTV footage played in court shows the couple being restrained, then separated from each other, before Ms Ferguson, looking dazed and confused, is led through corridors to a back exit of the casino.
The court heard Ms Ferguson was held in the “shut down” position and later had her wrist twisted in a lock as she was escorted off the premises.
The prosecution argued the security vision shows she was in pain and unnecessary force was being used on her.
Defence lawyers submitted that the men were doing their jobs and acted in self defence.
Barrister Ian Hill told the jury the bouncers acted calmly to a threatening situation.
He argued the slap resulted in a heat of the moment response to prevent further assaults, and that Mr Anderson had become angry when his partner was restrained.
The level of force used against the couple is in dispute, as is the extent of Mr Anderson’s injuries.
Dunning, the couple’s friend, 40, was also restrained by three different bouncers on the night and later died of a heart attack.
The security staff charged over his death were acquitted last year.
Topics:
courts-and-trials,
assault,
games-industry-professional-gaming,
south-melbourne-3205
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Source Article from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-10/court-told-casino-bouncers-abused-their-power/4620922
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