Vic Crown Casino bouncers avoid jail

Two Crown Casino bouncers have avoided jail for their assault on a couple in an incident involving another man who later died.

A couple assaulted by two Crown Casino bouncers alongside their friend who later died say justice has not been served.

The two bouncers avoided jail after Matthew Anderson and his partner Olivia Ferguson were thrown to the floor, put in painful "shut-down" holds and escorted to separate exits of the Melbourne casino.

Their friend Anthony Dunning, who was also brought to the ground and restrained in the same incident, suffered a cardiac arrest and died in hospital.

Quoc Hai Tran, 35, was convicted of assault, intentionally causing injury and unlawful imprisonment on Ms Ferguson and fined $8000 in the Victorian Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Jacques Tony Fucile, 31, was convicted of intentionally causing injury and unlawfully imprisoning Mr Anderson and fined $6000.

Another bouncer, Nicholas Vladamir Levchenko, 27, was fined $2000, but escaped conviction after being found guilty of unlawful imprisonment against Mr Anderson.

Three other Crown bouncers were charged over Mr Dunning's death, but were acquitted last year.

Justice Lex Lasry described the assaults as extreme and disproportionate acts of violence against two patrons willingly leaving the casino.

But he said their crimes did not warrant jail, with the temporary loss of their security careers a serious penalty.

"If I impose convictions for these offences you, Quoc Tran and Jacques Fucile, will lose your career for a period of 10 years," Justice Lasry said.

"That is a significant punishment."

Mr Anderson said there was no justice in the sentence.

"We're just extremely disappointed with the outcome," he told reporters outside court.

"We're more disappointed with what happened in Anthony's trial. Justice hasn't been served."

The pair will now take legal action against the casino.

The incident occurred when Ms Ferguson and Mr Anderson realised their friend, Mr Dunning, was being escorted from the casino for being intoxicated on the night of July 3, 2011.

Ms Ferguson and Mr Anderson were both willingly leaving the casino, when Ms Ferguson turned to slap Tran in response to something he had said.

Justice Lasry said Tran's move to throw her to the ground, kicking off the incident, was extreme.

"The way you so forcefully put Ms Ferguson to the ground was an extraordinary reaction to a slap; there were six of your colleagues around you and any threat which you might have faced was minimal."


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3 min read

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Source: AAP


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