REVELLERS saw stabbing victim Joel Halliday walking down the stairs, bleeding, in Level nightclub on New Year's Day.

The 20-year-old had been stabbed seven times in the Mawdsley Street club when he was out celebrating New Year’s Eve. Level’s chief bouncer, David Seddon, who served in the Armed Forces, managed to treat Mr Halliday for his stab wounds in the nightclub’s first-aid room while he was waiting for an ambulance.

Mr Seddon was later recognised by the police with the Divisional Superintendent's Commendation Certificate for his actions on the night "for your professionalism and dedication whilst on duty at Level nightclub you administered first-aid to a male who had been stabbed and helped to saved his life".

Level’s owner, Sam Zegrour, told The Bolton News about the horrifying events that night.

He said: “We were made aware that he was walking down the stairs he was bleeding quite a lot, so we took him into our first-aid room. We then saw the cuts and realised he had been stabbed.

“Our head doorman, who is a battlefield-trained medic, managed to treat him while we waited for the paramedics.

“There was a fair amount of blood.

“He just made sure that his wounds were covered and that the bleeding was stopped the best we could.”

Paramedics arrived around 20 minutes later and headed straight for the first-aid room, which is on the ground floor of Level, near to the entrance/exit of the venue.

The victim was then taken to hospital.

Mr Zegrour said he and his security team immediately worked with police, reviewing CCTV footage, to identify the men responsible.

Once they had been identified to the police, officers left the club and the arrest was made elsewhere.

The nightclub was awarded a commendation — the District Superintendent’s Award for Outstanding Partnership Working — in February for the work it does with Greater Manchester Police.

Mr Zegrour added: “We really try and go above and beyond to ensure our customers’ safety, and we do all that we can, and the award recognises that.

“But, unfortunately, if a determined individual wants to do something like this there is little we can do.”

The club was also praised at a Bolton Council licensing committee meeting for its commitment to improving safety.

Cllr Martin Donaghy, who chairs the sub-committee, told the town hall meeting: “I was most impressed, as were my colleagues, by our visit to the premises of Level.

"I am convinced that you have done everything in your power to make Level a safe and pleasant place for the people of Bolton and the surrounding district.

“I accept that, despite the best intentions of all of us, incidents will happen.

“But at the expedited hearing I know you were mortified by what had happened and deeply sorry.

"You took steps by your own volition to mitigate these problems and do everything in your power to make your business safe for the people of Bolton.”