Gareth Dunne ‘took the law into his own hands’ following a dispute at the bowling alley on Edge Lane
Gareth Dunne(Image: Facebook)
A man “whipped himself into a frenzy” at Hollywood Bowl and ended up in the dock of Liverpool Crown Court. Gareth Dunne was said to have “taken the law into his own hands” following a dispute at the bowling alley on Edge Lane in November 2023.
The ECHO understands that this saw him assault another customer inside and outside the premises after the other man was wrongly accused of acting inappropriately towards a child. This led to the 45-year-old, of County Road in Walton, appearing before the court this morning, Wednesday, charged with two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm against the complainant, named as Paul Robinson.
Dunne, who wore a black jumper over a light blue shirt and sported short dark hair, spoke to confirm his name and date of birth before pleading not guilty to one of these charges but admitting the lesser offence of battery. He meanwhile pleaded guilty to the second count.
Jonathan Keane, prosecuting, confirmed these pleas would be acceptable to the Crown Prosecution Service. Kate Morley, defending, asked for the case to be adjourned in order for a pre-sentence report to be obtained.
Dunne will now be sentenced on February 24. Judge David Swinnerton remarked: “The trouble is that, when people try to take the law into their own hands, there is a risk of making mistakes.”
Ms Morley, who told the court Dunne has no previous convictions, said: “It is very unfortunate for everybody. The complainant, mostly.” The defence counsel meanwhile stated of her client: “He is in employment. He has never been in this situation before.”
Releasing Dunne on unconditional bail ahead of his sentencing, Judge Swinnerton added: “You are 45 years of age. You have never been in trouble. The trouble when people whip themselves into a frenzy about protecting children and decide to take the law into their own hands instead of calling the police is that, sometimes, mistakes can be made, and it results in this. All options are open.”