Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we are here today because on the 21st of July 2024, the defendant, Leigh Hinton, a security guard, assaulted my client, Sam Mojid, a young teenager, outside Paradise Arcade. As a result of Mr. Hinton’s actions, Sam sustained serious injuries, including a severe nosebleed, a swollen nose, a wounded neck, and swollen ears. Mr. Hinton is charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and we will prove that his actions were not only unnecessary but excessive, unwarranted, and driven by personal frustrations rather than any legitimate security concern. The facts of this case are uncomplicated. On the day in question, Sam and his friends, Andi Khan and Cali Carter, headed to Paradise Arcade. As they approached, they encountered the defendant, Mr. …show more content…
But let’s consider the facts. The burn, if it even happened, was accidental. Sam was not attacking Mr. Hinton or acting aggressively in any way. He was discarding the cigarette to de-escalate the situation. Mr. Hinton, a trained security professional, could have used any other method to handle this situation—the defendant could have stepped back or called for assistance. Instead, he chose to respond with violence, using disproportionate and excessive force. As a security guard, Mr. Hinton protects the public, not harming them. He should have known better than to escalate a minor incident involving a cigarette into an assault that left a young person injured and traumatized. This is not an act of self-defence. It was an apparent overreaction driven by Mr. Hinton’s personal frustrations with Sam. We will show evidence of a previous grudge, as Mr. Hinton had already had negative encounters with Sam and his friends, including complaints about loud music. This personal bias clouded his judgment and led to his unprofessional and reckless behaviour that