John Rutter, of Whickham, assaulted a man in Switch bar in the early hours of New Year’s Day
John Rutter, who admitted assault
New Year celebrations ended in dancefloor violence when a former soldier attacked a man he had dated. John Rutter had just been dumped by his lover when he ended up in the same city centre club as another man he had been out with a few times in the past.
When those other two men spoke, this appears to have caused Rutter to lose his temper, Newcastle Crown Court heard. He ended up attacking the man he had dated in the past.
The victim had noticed Rutter dancing near him and said he looked angry. He then approached him and lashed out. In the commotion that followed, he suffered a dislocated shoulder as they went to the floor.
Now Rutter, 38, of Broom Lane, Whickham, Gateshead, who pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, has been sentenced to 12 months suspended for 12 months with a five-month electronically monitored curfew between 7pm and 7am.
Judge Tom Moran told him: “You had been in a brief relationship with the complainant and you were in the same bar. The complainant spoke to a man who also had a relationship with you and that seems to have been the catalyst for you losing your temper and approaching him.
“You were very angry and were bigger and stronger than him. You grabbed him by the throat and punched him a number of times and he went to the floor. It’s almost certain that’s what caused his dislocated shoulder.”
The court heard the victim, 27, had been on dates with Rutter in 2023. That came to an end when he found out Rutter had not told him his real name, claiming he was called Ben.
There had been no subsequent issues between them until they ended up in the same bar, Switch, in Newcastle city centre, early on New Years Day 2024.
The victim was approached at the bar by a man who asked if he had been dating Rutter and he said he had been on a few dates with him in the past. The man said he had been in a relationship with Rutter for three years but reassured the apologetic victim not to worry, as he had ended the relationship the previous day.
Around 20 minutes later, the victim was dancing when he noticed Rutter dancing two metres away “gritting his teeth and appearing aggressive”. Rutter than approached him, made comments and struck him with his fist to his face.
The man tried to push him away and restrain him to prevent further violence before they fell to the floor, where there was a “further commotion”. Door staff then intervened and Rutter was ejected.
The victim was taken to hospital and was found to have a dislocated shoulder, bruising to his face, scratches to his head and below his eye and tenderness to his tooth.
In a victim impact statement, the man said he was left feeling self-conscious, anxious and depressed by the attack and his injuries.
Spencer Downey, defending, said: “This incident is out of character. He has clear remorse and is very embarrassed at his actions.” He added: “This was a rather short-lived incident, it wasn’t planned.”
Mr Downey told the court Rutter, who has children, had struggled to fully come to terms with his sexuality. He was in the military previous but was medically discharged then had another good job but became unwell and unable to work.