“I was abused” – Member denies attack on security guard at The Open

Simon Lloyd was arrested by security guards at the Royal Liverpool Club in Hoylake, Wirral, as he left the grounds during last year's Open Championship and was described by police as being drunk.

It was believed he had been driving a stolen buggy rented by Netflix for the tournament and crashed into G4S's mobile security booth.

Lloyd was charged with aggravated vehicle theft and assault following the incident on the evening of July 18, 2023 and is due to stand trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

He denied both offences and was formally found not guilty of the horse-drawn carriage offence on the judge's orders after the prosecution failed to present any further evidence.

However, the 47-year-old is still accused of assault and the jury heard from alleged victim John Bilsborough, who was responsible for security as a night watchman at the event.

He said he received a radio call saying there had been an incident involving a golf cart. He went over to investigate near Gate 7 and saw two of his colleagues trying to detain a man.

“One of them held him by his left hand, the other by his right arm, and he had his back to the wall. He was very aggressive, kicking and trying to kick.

“I went behind him and pushed him against the wall and stood behind him to push him against the wall. I put my hand on his collar. I tried to calm him down but he said, 'Let me go, I will fight you face to face,'” he claimed.

“He tried to push me and threw his head back, hitting me in the temple. He continued to struggle and I put my left hand on his shoulder to make sure he stayed against the wall.

“I remember him turning his head to the side and trying to bite me. As he tried, I moved my left hand, but my right hand slipped from his neck and he turned around and bit me on my right hand.

“He bit my middle finger and then my thumb and rubbed it,” Mr Bilsborough said.

He said he yelled at Lloyd to let go, but Lloyd initially refused to do so, but then did. He said he backed away when he saw police coming.

Mr Bilsborough went to Runcorn Urgent Care Centre and his bruised fingers were cleaned and took about 10 days to heal. His injured thumb, which had three minor injuries, was tender.

The court was shown CCTV footage of Lloyd's alleged journey and then several minutes of footage of his detention by security forces and subsequent arrest.

The jury heard that when he was arrested, police described him as “obviously drunk, slurring his speech and smelling strongly of drugs”. A subsequent breath test showed that he had almost twice the legal limit of alcohol in his blood.

Lloyd, of Bertram Close, Meols, Wirral, said in his witness statement that he had been a member of the club for 30 years and had gone there that day to watch a few games of golf and have lunch.

He said he drank three or four individual glasses of vodka and orange juice and, after watching some golf, walked along the path to his nearby house. When asked by his lawyer, Jonathan Duffy, if he considered himself drunk, he replied: “No.”

He said he was not one of the three people – including a woman – who allegedly took the golf cart, but as he walked along the path he was suddenly grabbed and pushed against a wall.

He said he did not know who the men in the high-visibility vests were. He thought they might be “robbers,” told them to dismount and held out his arms. He denied flailing his arms and pointed out that his arms were being held by two men.

The court heard allegations that he attended an “after-party” at the course, but he denied this and also denied knowing a young black woman who is seen in the footage filming the incident on her mobile phone.

Lloyd, who is 6 feet 2 inches tall, said his face, particularly his nose and cheekbones, were “pressed against the wall” as four security guards held him down and six others hovered around him.

He told the court that he told the security guard: “Let me go, I'm staying here.”

Lloyd denied attempting to headbutt Mr Bilsborough on two occasions and said he only threw his head back to knock him off the wall as his face was pressed against the kerb.

He showed the jury a scar on his wrist where a titanium pin had been inserted 30 years ago and said he was limited in his mobility. “My chest was pressed against the wall

“I was in all kinds of pain.” When asked, “Have you ever tried to kick, hit or attack anyone?” he replied, “No.”

Under cross-examination by prosecutor David Polglase, Lloyd said he was in pain during the incident and added: “I was abused.”

He said his face was flushed, but acknowledged that he had no photographic evidence and had not been to his doctor or the hospital.

When asked why he did not comment when questioned by police the next day, he said his lawyer had advised him to do so.

He also said he was “confused” rather than angry and shaken at the time of the incident.

Mr Polglase claimed he lied in his account and “embellished and exaggerated” it, but he denied this, saying the footage showed he did not put up any resistance.

He also denied being drunk and said he was neither “boisterous nor violent. I was just minding my own business when I went home.”

The case continues.