Published Monday, 06 February 2012
A bus tour worker punched a rival operator up to 10 times. (© UTV)
Michael Johnston said he was left drifting in an out of consciousness after David 'Beefy' Cromie kicked and beat him on the ground in front of afternoon shoppers.
Cromie, 36, of Seabourne Parade, Belfast, was convicted in his absence of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and attempted grievous bodily harm.
A warrant has now been issued for his arrest so he can be brought for sentencing.
Mr Johnston, 38, operations manager with City Sightseeing, Belfast, was attacked at Castle Place on September 10, 2009.
He said Cromie, who worked for the rival Allens Tours, had ordered him to move a bus so one of his could park there, threatening violence if he refused.
Cromie, together with a second man, then knocked him to the ground and continued to kick and punch him, Belfast Magistrates' Court heard.
"I drifted in and out of consciousness," Mr Johnston said.
A bus driver for City Sightseeing - who witnessed the beating - recalled seeing his colleague going down on one knee after the first blow.
"Beefy lifted him by the side of the head and started banging it off a phone box," he said."At that stage all the public gathered around telling them to leave him alone. They walked away."
The driver added that after police arrived and arrested Cromie he turned to him and said: "You are for it."
Another ticket seller witness told of her shock at the attack.
"I was looking to see what was behind his head because I was really flabbergasted that someone could be doing it with such force," she said.
At one stage Richard McConkey, defending, put it to Mr Johnston that he had been involved in a fight and "gave as good as you got".
But the victim replied: "I was standing at my bus. He came over to me and threatened me."
Mr McConkey argued there were issues around his client acting in self-defence and doubts over the nature of the alleged attack.
But District Judge Ken Nixon ruled: "In the circumstances the defendant is convicted of all the complaints before the court.
"There will be an arrest warrant."
Outside the court, Mr Johnston claimed the attack was all down to money.
"I was targeted because it was such a successful cash business I had run for over 10 years," he said.
He also claimed to have been subjected to continued intimidation and hit out at the relevant authorities for not intervening.
Mr Johnston added: "This was all about beating me up, stopping me coming to work and getting us to pull out and stop operating there."