Plymouth Afghan hero faces a new battle for his health after club assault
A YOUNG serviceman who survived an IED blast in Afghanistan was left needing hospital treatment after being attacked in a city bar.
Tony Avory-Barker, a gunner with 29 Commando based at the Citadel, had only been in The Venue on Union Street for five minutes when he said he was assaulted.
Police are still investigating the incident, which took place at around 3.30am on Sunday.
Tony, who has been in the services since he was 16 and in 29 Commando for the past three-and-a-half years, now faces months of recovery after medical staff found he had suffered two fractures of his lower jaw.
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The gunner has already faced down the Taliban after being posted to Afghanistan in March last year. In September 2011 an improvised explosive device (IED) went off just three metres from him, leaving him with a perforated ear-drum.
Tony, aged 21, said: "I returned home in October 2011.
"I'm deaf in my left ear, but I've had trouble sleeping at night. I've been going through therapy, but I'm still struggling to sleep.
"I was very lucky – all I lost was my hearing and I'm not waiting for my hearing aid."
Following the incident at the club, Tony, from Peterborough, has been given two months leave to recover and will not be allowed to return to full duties for the next six months.
He said: "I can't do contact sport until I'm fully healed.
"The doctor at the hospital said he was surprised I wasn't knocked out and suffered more head damage. He's been a doctor for ten years and said the jaw fractures were the worst breaks he's seen.
"The doctor said I won't be able to feel my bottom lip or chin again. The attack stretched my jaw and killed the nerves.
"It's going to affect my career a little bit, but it all depends on how it heals."
Tony said he had gone to The Venue to meet a female friend and after saying hello popped into the gents toilets.
There he was confronted by three men. One grabbed his privates and twisted them while another began to beat him. A third also struck him, and urinated on the back of his legs.
Tony said: "I'd never seen them before. I put my hands up and said "what's this all about" but they just kept smacking me.
Anyone with information about the incident should call police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 quoting crime reference number EC/12/9356.
A 27-year-old man arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm has been bailed until December 17 pending further inquiries.
Comment – Page 11
Comments
by CharlieDodd
Friday, October 05 2012, 11:05PM
“When clubs apply for a licence, it should be refused unless they've got good CCTV coverage in the place to deter yobs from being yobs..”
by evs72
Friday, October 05 2012, 8:46PM
“another ****hole of a union street pub full of idiots who still think they are big and hard in groups,just like at football....only they are not and never were big hard men.all the decent people stay well clear of this place as you know full well someone trying to act hard in front of his mates will start trouble and as for the door staff what a joke.
get well soon mate and dont let this stop you.”
by Shoto45
Friday, October 05 2012, 7:01PM
“ps: Sorry I forgot to wish you well for a speedy recovery Tony...”
by Shoto45
Friday, October 05 2012, 6:57PM
“I seem to rememar an " Andy Capp " cartoon where he made a comment about some one not being hard as he & 3 of his mates gave him a smacking the day before. It would seem that we still have an element of that these days only hard when in a gang.. The courts need to be hard on these types..”
by MagicalOne
Friday, October 05 2012, 4:06PM
“Far to many violent attacks on Union Street , it scares decent people from going out at night , this city is getting quite a reputation as a no go zone after dark with all these thugs raging rampant . Hopefully cctv will reveal who these miscreant scumbags are and the book will be thrown at them , there needs to be serious repercussions for such violent behaviour to dissuade others . My heart goes out to this brave soldier who has served his country and deserves better than this .”
by sidewinder
Friday, October 05 2012, 11:54AM
“Its owned by one and used by many of those former TCE idiots, nice to see how big and brave they get when the odds favor themselves,some things never change.
If i was this chap or his mates id get a small party together go down there and ask the owner in person if he knows who these "hardmen" are, and ill wager money that he does.”
by BrianG
Friday, October 05 2012, 11:48AM
“You can go anywhere in Plymouth and still find at least one idiot in there. Sounds to me as if it was planned.
So much for the help the heroes campaign, they should throw the book at this crowd, but I can't see it happening.”
by kazzyb007
Friday, October 05 2012, 10:34AM
“I thought the Venue had been closed down for a month after another assault? Close it down permanently and do the city a favour.”