Football players prosecuted by police for assault

During a top flight football game in Scotland in 1996 Duncan Ferguson head-butted another player Smith. Ferguson was red carded and sent from the field.

The injured player suffered a broken nose but no other injuries and did not want to take the matter further through the civil courts but this was not the end of the matter.

The police who were on duty at the game charged Duncan Ferguson with G.B.H and the matter went to a criminal court where Ferguson was found guilty of G.B.H and served six months in jail for his actions on the field of play.

Ferguson claimed as his defence that Smith was winding him up throughout the game until he cracked and head-butted him.

Smith appeared in court as a witness FOR THE ACCUSED saying that he was winding Ferguson up all through the game and that what happened to him on that day was common in soccer and that the same thing had happened to him in a previous game.

Ferguson who was a current International player tried to get the football governing body in Scotland to help him avoid jail by saying that as they had already given him a twelve match ban he had already been punished for his crime on the soccer field.

However the football governing body refused to help Ferguson.

Footballer given 12 months gaol sentence 2011

In another similar case a footballer, Kevin Wigglesworth, who broke the jaw of an opponent, Michael Hutchinson, during an amateur match in Leeds in 2010 has been jailed for 12 months.

The attack by Wigglesworth on Michael Hutchinson sparked a fist fight between both teams and the referee was forced to abandon the game.

The prosecutor, John Bull, said that as Hutchinson was jogging away, Wigglesworth punched him from behind and broke his jaw in two places. As a result Hutchinson had to undergo surgery to insert a steel plate in his jaw. However the injury failed to heal properly causing further surgery and repeated hospital visits.

Wigglesworth pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm. The stated to the court that he had not intended to injure Hutchinson in the attack. However. Wigglesworth was sentenced to 12 months in prison by Judge Geoffrey Marson QC. Judge Marson stated “This is a serious offence, it was a disgraceful incident and there was no justification to punch a man in the middle of a football match. It provoked a fight among the other players, leaving the referee having to abandon the match.”

 

Law Quiz
Video Tutorials for Excel