Royton Man Jailed

A man who stabbed a doorman after being refused entry to a bar in Royton has been jailed for seven years.

Richard Johnstone (born 19/06/1983), of Shaw Street, Royton, was sentenced at Bolton Crown Court on Monday (23 December 2025) after pleading guilty to section 18 wounding with intent and possession of a bladed article in a public place.

The incident happened just after 11pm on 4 May 2025 at the Trapdoor bar on Middleton Road.

Johnstone was initially refused entry by a security doorman because he was wearing sportswear, which was against the bar’s policy. He became verbally aggressive and later attempted to enter again by walking in with another group. When he was stopped for a second time, a physical altercation followed. A woman who tried to calm the situation was knocked aside and fell.

Johnstone then left the scene, threatening to return with “eight lads”.

Around 15 minutes later, he came back wearing different clothes. He was seen reaching into his pocket before lunging at the doorman and stabbing him once in the stomach.

Emergency services were called and the victim was taken to hospital.

In a powerful victim impact statement, the doorman described believing he was going to die after the attack and said the incident has completely changed his life. He has not worked since, losing income as a self-employed worker, and no longer feels safe doing the job he loved.

He said the experience of being a victim in the criminal justice system for the first time, at the age of 69, had been “horrendous and traumatising” for both him and his family.

Detective Constable Kirstie Masterton from GMP’s Oldham CID said:
“An attack like this on hard-working members of the public will never be tolerated.
“The victim was simply doing his job when he was attacked in a shocking and awful case.
“This sentence reflects the seriousness of the offence and our commitment to tackling violence and protecting public safety.”

Police hope the conviction will help the victim begin to move on and feel safe in his community again.