A MUM has told how she was attacked and had her phone robbed by bouncers after they told her she was “too ugly” to enter a pub.

Claire Sidebottom, 39, began to film two door staff of Bar Rogue in Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester when they barred her because of her looks.

She was then grabbed by her handbag strap and forcibly pulled into a safety barrier when she threatened to report the bouncers as they laughed at her.

During the incident in Manchester city centre Miss Sidebottom was bundled over and dropped the phone before hearing one of the doormen shout: “Grab it and run.'' 

She never saw the £800 device again after the incident on February 7 last year.

Police who investigated the robbery found one of the doormen in possession of two kubotans – a weapon used in Martial Arts to place targeted force into pressure points on the body. 

At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Christopher Cash, 33, from Edgeley, Stockport, admitted robbery, common assault and possession of an offensive weapon and was ordered to pay Miss Sidebottom £1,000 compensation.

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The other doorman died unexpectedly before he could be charged.

After the case full-time mum Miss Sidebottom from Mossley said: ''I’m glad this man's been punished even though I don’t think what he got enough. He was a doorman and he was there to protect people not to bully, assault and rob.

''It has been my first bar crawl for a while and I felt targeted and bullied and felt hurt because people were laughing with him. That evening I only went out to take my mind off what was going on around me at the time.

''I can’t even go out around town anymore now without feeling another bouncer will hurt me. This man took my phone that had sentimental pictures of my baby that I can never get back. He took memories away from me.''

'TOO UGLY TO BE LET IN'

Andrew Evans prosecuting said: ''The defendant was a doorman at the time and Miss Sidebottom was on a night out and was queuing to get in. 

“She encountered Mr Cash and his colleague but she recalls she was refused entry because staff said that she was too drunk and a dispute arose.

''During that time, she recalls them saying she was too ugly to be let in so she decided to record their behaviour on her mobile phone, asked for their names and threatened to send the footage to head office.

''She then recalls one of the doormen grabbing her phone from her hand but she was able to grab it back. She asked them why they thought they could take this but then recalls one of the males coming at her through the barrier, causing her to drop the phone.

''She recalled falling to the ground and the doorman saying ‘grab it and run’ to someone nearby. She looked up to see someone dressed in black running away and she never saw the phone again.”

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Officers recovered one kubotan from Cash's jacket pocket following his arrest and seized another when they searched his bag in the police station.

In mitigation for Cash who now works as a delivery driver, defence counsel Anna Chestnutt said: “He is a conscientious gentleman who does feel bad as to what happened to Miss Sidebottom. He says she did not deserve to be assaulted and the phone should not have been taken."

Sentencing the judge Mr Recorder Daniel Prowse told Cash: ''You were the one who first came towards her and pulled her. You took the phone from the floor and you handed it to someone who left with it. 

“It seems to me the purpose was to deprive her of evidence of your behaviour. You abused your power as a door supervisor in relation to her.”

Cash was also ordered to complete a 18-month community order, 120 hours unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation requirement days.

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