Michael Bowes

Michael Bowes died after being restrained at Rivals nightclub in Deal, Kent on 11 August 2013.

Three bouncers were tried for his manslaughter by gross negligence but acquitted.

It was said that Michael Bowes had been behaving in an aggressive manner after having been thrown out and that they had restrained him for an excessive amount of time causing him to collapse and later die.

Michael Bowes had gone to the nightclub with his girlfriend. They had been drinking before they went out and later on Michael Bowes's girlfriend got into an argument with another woman and Michael Bowes intervened. They were both then thrown out of the club by bouncers through separate doors.

When Michael Bowes was ejected from the club, he became aggressive and broke a window and damaged a door frame and argued with the bouncers that threw him out.

It was said then that three bouncers held him down for about 15 minutes, using, 'excessive and inappropriate pressure', after which he collapsed. It was also heard that he had been hit in the face before he was pinned down and excessive force had been applied to his back and neck, which was said to have been 'excessive in the degree of pressure and the duration it lasted'.

After Michael Bowes collapsed, he was taken to the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate where he later died.

The three bouncers had each held different parts of Michael Bowes's body, one restraining his top part, another his leg or waist area and the third his feet.

It was also noted that the CCTV cameras at the place where Michael Bowes was restrained were not working.

Michael Bowes was a well-built muscular man and it was heard that he used anabolic steroids and cocaine.

He died from a cardiac respiratory collapse and it was heard that there was no natural cause for his heart and lungs to stop functioning.