Nightclub bouncer remanded on assault charges
The bouncer who generated international media attention when footage of England rugby captain Mike Tindall was posted on the internet appeared briefly in Queenstown District Court on assault charges yesterday.
Jonathan Dixon, 41, appeared for a procedural hearing before Judge John Clapham, charged with wounding with reckless disregard and causing grievous bodily harm to Jordan Sinke and assaulting Thomas Beatson.
The charges were laid after a week-long police investigation and information gathered from about a dozen witnesses to an early-morning incident in Subculture club on January 21.
Mr Sinke, 26, was in an induced coma for five days after the nightclub incident.
A duty solicitor applied for a further re- mand for Dixon and for all matters to be heard next month.
Judge Clapham granted a media application to take a photograph of Dixon, saying juries had clearly demonstrated the ability to set aside publicity.
At the time of the alleged nightclub incident, Dixon was on bail awaiting trial on a charge of
accessing
a compu- dishonestly ter.
That charge was laid after a video clip appeared on Youtube showing footage of Dixon interspersed with closed-circuit television images from Altitude nightclub in Queenstown.
In the clip, England captain Mike Tindall flirted with a blonde woman during the buildup to the Rugby World Cup, just six weeks after he married the Queen’s granddaughter Zara Phillips.
Dixon, who has indicated he intends to plead not guilty to the assault charges, was remanded without plea to appear again for a post-committal conference on March 27.