A FORMER soldier and prison officer has claimed he lied to police about a nightclub assault because he was wary of York doorman and alleged gangster Paul Sawford.

Giving evidence in his own defence, fellow bouncer Marc Shane Ward, 30, alleged his home was videoed and his wife followed after he gave police a copy of a crime report Sawford obtained from York policewoman Clare Woodall.

The jury heard she was convicted of misconduct at a trial at which Ward gave evidence for the prosecution.

Ward, of High Petergate, York, denies causing actual bodily harm jointly with Sawford to evicted customer Ashley Tunstill at the foot of the fire escape of The Gallery club on Boxing Night 2000.

In his evidence at York Crown Court, Ward, an ex-soldier and prison officer turned full-time doorman, said he lied to police in March 2001 to conceal Sawford's involvement in the assault because he was "wary" of the other man.

He denied attacking Mr Tunstill himself apart from hitting him once in self-defence.

Ward said that Sawford, then head doorman of The Gallery, showed him the crime report shortly after the assault with the words that the case would never get to court.

He claimed he had already heard rumours that Sawford had connections with organised crime in Manchester and had a York police officer in his pocket to whom he supplied cocaine.

Ward said he secretly took a copy of the report while Sawford was being sacked in another room for his part in the assault.

The jury was told Sawford was on a witness protection scheme because he had been the target of a murder bid in Manchester and was a witness in a case involving the death of a drug dealer.

Ikon and Diva general manager Jonathan Guest told the jury Ward was one of the most professional security staff he had ever worked with.

The jury is expected to retire on Monday.

Updated: 10:36 Saturday, April 13, 2002