Exclusive:Three bouncers who choked Leeds man, 30, to death outside bar jailed for manslaughter

Three bouncers who choked a much-loved 30-year-old man from Leeds to death while restraining him in the street on a night out have been jailed.

Jamie Kelly passed out as he was held down by Mark Rowing, 37, Dwayne Watson, 44, and David Williams, 30, outside the Vintage Rock Bar on Silver Street in Doncaster on May 1, 2022.

Between them, the three men threw Jamie to the ground by his neck, held his limbs down and compressed his chest as he lay face down for over three minutes, causing unsurvivable brain damage.

The 30-year-old songwriter, who had been weeks from achieving his degree in music production, had been out celebrating the birth of a new child for one of his friends.

At Sheffield Crown Court yesterday, a packed public gallery filled with Jamie’s loved ones, as well as the family of the three defendants, heard how Jamie was “acting out of character” on the night he died.

The court heard Jamie - who his family state had never been in an altercation in his life - was ejected from the Vintage Rock Bar by doorman Mark Rowing sometime before 9.40pm on May 1, 2022.

CCTV reportedly showed Jamie ”plainly drunk and unsteady,” and got in an argument with Rowing when the bouncer retrieved the wrong jacket for him from inside, which Rowing threw at him.

Each man began shoving each other and Rowing struck Jamie twice.

“Jamie was drunk and plainly not going quietly,” said prosecutor Mr Nicholas Johnson KC. “But Mr Rowing’s actions escalated rather than deescalated the case.”

It was then that Dwayne Watson, a doorman for another bar on the street, also intervened by twisting Jamie’s arm behind his back while Rowing put an arm around his neck.

Jamie was released and Rowing retrieved the correct coat from inside, which, again, he threw at the 30-year-old.

“Mr Kelly remained outside, clearly agitated,” said Mr Johnson.

“Friends heard him say ‘come on then’ at Mr Rowing, who replied ‘look at the state of you”.

The situation escalated again, at which point Watson again appeared, putting Jamie in a headlock using an arm around his neck, wrestling him to the ground face down, and forcing his head back.

David Williams, also a bouncer, then appeared and moments later all three heavy-set men were restraining Jamie. Williams held his legs, Watson held him in a headlock, and Rowing lay across him diagonally.

They held him like this for over three minutes.

Eyewitnesses had told the three men to get off Jamie when he had stopped moving. Rowing shouted at them: “Shut up, it’s none of your business.”

Police officers arrived around two minutes later - only to find Jamie not moving and with a weak pulse.

He was rushed to Doncaster Royal Infirmary, but he had already suffered severe, fatal hypoxia to the brain. He died on May 2.

Jamie’s sister, Louise Allen, said in a victim impact statement that was read to the court: “Jamie had a huge personality. He was full of life and fun. He would genuinely light up any room with his positive energy, charm and fantastic sense of humour.

“If there were any fall-outs or potential for a fight, Jamie would usually be the one to talk over the situation and calm things down.

“Jamie loved to sing, this was his main passion. He was always singing, writing songs about love and playing on the piano. He had a beautiful voice.

“To a degree, there was a certain loss of dignity for Jamie. Dying on the street, face down in the rain, and then as his body shut down in the hospital.

“Jamie has left behind a huge hole in the lives of his family and friends.”

‘Good people make terrible mistakes’

The three bouncers were charged with and denied manslaughter. This went to trial, which then had to be restarted in February 2026. However, soon after this retrial began, the three men pleaded guilty to manslaughter by gross negligence.

Their defence barristers said all three men were “truly remorseful.” His Honour Judge Jeremy Richardson remarked on the “potent mitigation” and “thoroughly decent” character of the three men, saying they had “good jobs, decent careers - and, over the course of about three minutes, behaved shockingly.”

“And because of that a thoroughly decent individual is dead,” said the judge.

Sombrely he said in sentencing: “I freely confess I have found this case to be extremely difficult.

“My sentence in no way a reflection of the value of the life of Jamie Kelly. His life, as is all human life, is of infinite value. He was a much loved young man.

“That evening, he was plainly behaving out of character and was otherwise a very decent young man.

“What you did, however, was an act of gross negligence manslaughter.

“It was a grotesque response to a problem out of all proportion to the difficult situation you each faced.

“A man died as a consequence of the acts be each of you.

“In other circumstances each of you is an ordinary man doing an ordinary job in difficult circumstances. And it’s a truly dreadful state of affairs to send men like that to prison.

“Even good people make terrible mistakes.”

Mark Rowling, of Somersby Avenue, Doncaster, was jailed for two years and five months.

Dwayne Watson, of Kingstone Road, Worksop, was handed two years in prison.

David Williams, of Sarah Avenue, Nottingham, was sentenced to 20 months in jail.