Bouncers helped bloodied Marshall: bar owner

Adam Nagy
Adam Nagy
A Queenstown bar owner is shedding new light on an alleged attack on an ex-All Black, saying his staff stepped in and cleaned him up afterwards.

Adam Nagy, owner of strip bar Club 88, claims his two bouncers helped Queenstown-based ex-All Black Justin Marshall during the incident.

Mr Marshall was named in court last week as the victim of an alleged assault by two men visiting the resort early on Good Friday, April 18.

Police confirmed yesterday the incident occurred about 1.20am outside the Night'n Day dairy in Shotover Street - not outside strip bar Club 88, about 45m away, as has previously been reported by other media.

Mr Nagy, who did not witness the incident but spoke yesterday on behalf of his venue and security team, told Mountain Scene his staff ''ran over [to the Night'n Day] and helped out Justin.

"I don't think [my staff] knew it was him at the time - they just ran down and helped out and found out it was him.''

After the incident, Mr Nagy - who was working at Club 88 on the night - said his bar manager, Richard Peterson, ushered a bleeding Mr Marshall up the stairs into the venue to help him.

''He was all bloodied up and our manager Richie went down and helped him out and cleaned him up.

''We just put him in the Champagne Room away from everyone and we let him sit in there while the ambulance came.''

As for Mr Marshall's injuries, Mr Nagy said: ''It was on the face, more facial. The [ambulance] didn't take him away. He said he'd be fine - as rugby players do, mate.''

St John Queenstown station manager for ambulance Craig Downing confirmed paramedics were called and assessed a man in front of Club 88 about 1.20am on April 18.

''There was no need to transfer him to hospital. The patient declined to be transported and was released into the care of the police.''

Two Christchurch men - Adam David Kearns (23) and Tai Samuel Neilson (25) - were charged last week with assaulting Mr Marshall with intent to injure him.

In the Queenstown District Court on Wednesday last week, registrar Fiona Hutchins granted bail to Kearns and Neilson requiring them to reside at their home addresses in Christchurch and stick to a daily 9pm-6am curfew.

They are scheduled to appear in the Queenstown District Court on May 19. Kearns, whose mother is Helen Milner - imprisoned last year after being found guilty of murdering her husband, Philip Nisbet - told Radio New Zealand on Wednesday last week the run-in with Mr Marshall was ''a tit-for-tat situation - it wasn't just me. Yes, course he punched me - I punched him as well''.

Kearns said he didn't know at that stage if he'd be pleading guilty: ''It depends. If the police are going to drop it to common assault I'll probably take in on the grounds that he's charged with the same.

''But if they're not prepared to charge him as well, I'll be defending it.''

Marshall, who played 81 tests for the All Blacks, last week told Mountain Scene: ''It's not my fault. I'm simply a victim.''

 

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