British teen beaten by bouncers at Greek nightclub reveals injuries and truth about cause

The British teenager who was savagely beaten up by four bouncers at a nightclub on the Greek party island of Zakynthos has revealed the severity of his injuries and the truth about how the brutal attack broke out.

In harrowing footage, 18-year-old James Taylor was held in a headlock by four bouncers at CherryBay nightclub in Laganas on July 4 before taking turns punching, kicking and elbowing him in the face and body.

James, from Middlesbrough, told MailOnline that he suffered two black eyes, a swollen jaw, bumps on his head, a broken lip and a cut on his knee after the savage attack and shared photos of his horrific injuries.

The teen revealed that the savage attack happened simply because he stood on a chair to take a selfie with his friends before dancing there for ten seconds. A bouncer had tried to grab James’ arm to pull him out of the chair, but when James backed off, the club employee disappeared.

“The bouncer came back ten seconds later with the rest of the bouncers who were in the video and they took me outside and started beating me up,” James said. “That was all it took, something as small as standing on a chair.”

The revelation comes as his “devastated” mother Michelle Taylor, 55, warned other parents whose children go to Zakynthos – a popular destination with young Britons – that what happened to James could happen to them.

“I want to spread the message that this is unacceptable and that this is happening to our children,” Michelle told MailOnline. “I am a mother and every mother will feel this if this happens to their son when they go on vacation to Zante.

“You don’t have to worry about them getting beat up by bouncers.”

The mother-of-three said James called her in the early hours of Wednesday morning to ask if he had health insurance because he had been attacked by the four bouncers.

“I wanted to get on a plane and go there. I wanted to take him home, but he wanted to stay there, that he wouldn’t let them ruin his vacation,’ said Michelle.

Michelle says she didn’t see the video of her son being attacked because it would be “too traumatizing.”

The disturbing footage shows three bouncers holding James in a headlock, while a fourth beats him with a series of punches. As the Brit tries desperately to break free from their grasp, the bouncers take turns kicking, punching and elbowing him in the body and head.

A bouncer can be seen repeatedly hitting James to the head with a right hook as he tries to shield his body from the heavy blows. At one point, as the 18-year-old is about to break free, a large man kneels in his face and corners him before punching him in the face.

In the video, a second bouncer can be seen quickly stepping forward and punching James in the face, the force of which causes his head to slam into the wall behind him with a sickening thud. A bloodied and bruised James eventually manages to escape their clutches.

Speaking of the attack, James said, “It happened so fast. I only remember the really big punch – the adrenaline took over.’

When asked about being kicked and kneaded in the body by the bouncers, he said, “I don’t remember, it was all just a blur.” I didn’t know I was getting kicked until I got the video when I landed in the UK.”

Harrowing photos taken a day after the attack show James with two black eyes and a busted lip.

Michelle said she “felt sick” when James told her about the attack.

She said, “As a mother, it doesn’t matter how old your child is, you want to protect them. I was not there. I wasn’t there to keep him safe. He’s a happy boy, he went on holiday with his friends to have fun – and then this happened.’

Michelle, her voice cracking with emotion, added, “It makes me sick that someone could do this to a young 18-year-old and get away with it. I was devastated – I still am.’

Michelle, who takes care of her elderly mother and grandchildren full-time, added: ‘James is a lovely boy. Everyone who knows him loves him. He is not an aggressive person, he does not look for trouble. I am furious that this can happen and that they can get away with it.

“If this had happened in the UK this would have gone all the way to court. Why is this allowed?’

The “devastated” mother said she “shuddered” at the thought of what would have happened if the bouncers attacked his two friends with him because they are shorter and James goes to the gym.

“If they hit one of his friends who was with him and they fell to the ground, I shudder to think what would have happened to them if they had kicked them,” said Michelle.

Greek media reports citing unnamed sources included unsubstantiated claims that the bouncers attacked James for hitting a girl with a bottle on July 7. But James was beaten up by the bouncers three days earlier, on July 4, and he said he wasn’t a girl.

Speaking about why the bouncers had attacked him, James said: ‘I was in the back of the club with my friends and we had some seats around us. We got a selfie of the large group of us there and I had jumped on a chair to get in the picture and danced on the chair for about 10 seconds.

The bouncer tried to grab my arm to pull me down and I pulled my arm back before he said “go down.”

“I went down right away, but I don’t think he liked that I was strong enough to pull my arm off him. The bouncer went off but came back ten seconds later with the rest of the bouncers who were in the video and they took me outside and started beating me up.”

James added: ‘I was shocked at how little you need to do before these foreign bouncers start beating someone up like that.

“I thought if you go out and act crazy and cause trouble, yes maybe, but I didn’t realize something like that would happen when you stand on a chair to take a selfie.”

James said after the attack that he will ‘never go back’ to Zakynthos.

“The bouncers just want to fight and beat people up. It’s normal for them to beat up tourists. When I was there people asked where I came from with a black eye and when I said ‘guess what’ they all immediately guessed Cherry Bay.’

When asked what he would tell other teens planning to travel to Zante, he said, “When people go to Zante, know that all you have to do is stand on a chair and it could happen to you.” They really don’t care.’

After the attack, James was rushed to the medical center and given an x-ray. He told medics that he suffered the injuries after being beaten up by the bouncers.

But Michelle said the medical report only says James sustained his injuries “from falling on his face” – despite the teen telling them in detail about the attack.

‘That’s creepy. I feel like these people are all on it. They are all corrupt, they all stick together no matter what. That’s scary in itself.’

Local media reports in Greece had reported that James had spoken to police and identified a Serbian bouncer. But James and his mother said he never spoke to officers.

MailOnline has contacted CherryBay nightclub for comment.

In 2017, an American tourist was beaten to death by seven Serbian men, including a bouncer, and a Greek bartender at Bar Code in the same resort town of Laganas.

Bakari Henderson, 22, was in Zakynthos for a photoshoot to launch his own fashion line when he and friends visited the bar and reportedly asked a Serbian waitress for a selfie.

The mob of Serb men chased Henderson into the street and was fatally attacked.