​THREE nightclub bouncers have appeared in court accused of attacking and injuring a group of builders in a late-night Union Street brawl.

The trio, working as doormen at Maxine’s bar, are charged with causing actual bodily harm to three men, leaving them lying unconscious in the street.

Mark Cooper, 35, and 20-year-old Ben Holmes, had previously denied the charge.

Colleague Michael Floyd, 25, entered ‘no plea’ to assaulting two of the men. He is also charged with a later assault.

The court heard how the alleged victims suffered a barrage of punches, one felled with a debilitating ‘sleeper hold’ during an incident in Union Street on November 15 last year.

Cooper, of Wolsdon Street, Stonehouse, is charged with assaulting one man.

Holmes, of Hutchings Close, Southway, is jointly accused with Floyd of assaulting a second man.

Floyd, of Clowance Street, in Devonport, is further charged with assaulting the third builder.

He must also answer a third charge of assaulting a man causing actual bodily harm. He allegedly broke his jaw with a single punch on March 22 this year.

Floyd also faces three counts of working the door at Maxine’s without a licence, on November 1, 8 and 15 last year.

He also entered ‘no plea’ to those four charges.

Magistrates ruled earlier that all the assault matters should be heard by a judge at the Crown Court.

Floyd was committed to appear before a judge on July 26 on the March assault.

All three men were separately released on bail until June 17 in connection with the November incident.

Cooper and Holmes have unconditional bail but Floyd has been barred from entering Union Street.

The bouncers’ employer, JPS Security boss Jason Shopland, 37, has denied breaching the Private Security Industry Act by employing Floyd when he was allegedly not the holder of a door licence.

Shopland, of Desborough Road, St Judes, was due to appear alongside the other three but was remanded in his absence to June 17 after failing to appear at court.