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Concerns over being caught on a Jersey nightclub bouncer’s bodycam due to his “celebrity status” landed an England rugby star with a £2,000 fine for assaulting a doorman and resisting arrest in the Magistrate’s Court this morning.
Danny Cipriani (30) was also ordered to pay £250 compensation for bruising a female Police Officer.
Cipriani was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday morning following the incident at the Royal Yacht nightclub.
The Gloucester fly-half was originally charged with common assault, larceny, assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and being drunk and disorderly on licensed premises, and was remanded in custody.
Pictured: Cipriani appeared in a checked shirt as he left court, following his sentencing.
He appeared in the Magistrate’s Court this morning at 10:00 before Relief Magistrate Sarah Fitz to plead guilty to common assault and resisting arrest. The other charges against him were dropped.
The prosecution said Cipriani, who was in the island on a training camp with Gloucester Rugby Club, had gone out for a few drinks in the evening after a hard training session.
He tried to walk outside with two drinks, thinking he was going to an al fresco area and was stopped by the bouncer. They got involved in an argument, and when the bouncer switched on his body camera, Cipriani became agitated and tried to grab it off him.
He left the Royal Yacht, and the bouncer called the Police, who tried to arrest him outside the Pomme D’Or hotel. As they tried to cuff him, he shouted: “Get the f*** off me.”
Advocate Mike Preston, defending, said that Cipriani admitted both charges.
He explained that the rugby star got worked up about the filming because he is very cautious due to his celebrity status. He was said to be surprised to be stopped by the Police outside the hotel because he thought he had done nothing wrong, and said they didn’t say why they were arresting him, but did admit struggling.
He said he was mortified if he had accidentally hurt the Policewoman. She suffered bruising and minor injuries.
Advocate Preston said his celebrity status did not mean that he should be treated in any special way.
Pictured: The England rugby player was in the island for a training session.
He was subsequently ordered to pay a total of £2,250: £1,500 fine for resisting arrest, a fine of £500 for the assault on the doorman, and £250 compensation to the female officer, who he was said to have bruised and left redness on her neck.
Cipriani has now published a lengthy statement on his Twitter page.
He admitted that his behaviour had been "wrong", but emphasised the words of Magistrate Fitz that the incident had been "minor" and that a fine was "more than sufficient."
Cipriani followed this with an apology to those involved, and thanks to his supporters.
— Danny Cipriani (@DannyCipriani87) August 16, 2018
"I was on a team night out with the whole squad. I am grateful to the club, who have been fully supportive. I would like to publicly thank the Magistrate and the police, and once again, apologise both to them and to the public," he said.
Media and paparazzi from across the UK gathered outside the courtroom in order to catch a glimpse of Cipriani as he exited.
News of his sentencing has since been reported by national outlets including Sky News, the Guardian, Sun, Daily Mail, Telegraph, and news wire Press Association.
Gloucester Rugby Club released a statement on the nightclub incident following Cipriani's court appearance. In it, the club said that Cipriani is "very remorseful after the incident" and gives thanks to his supporters, while fully supporting the outcome of his court case this morning.
Video: The media scrum awaiting Danny Cipriani outside court this morning.
Club CEO Stephen Vaughan commented: "We are very proud of the culture we have within the group and the stated values which we strive to deliver against. Incidents of this nature are very disappointing to be associated with, and we will deal with it in a robust but balanced way but based purely on the facts.
“As a high profile sportsperson there is often a large degree of public and media scrutiny involved, which Danny is well aware of. The incident in question was over in a matter of seconds and was a reaction to the conduct of other parties involved.
“He knows his responsibilities and is aware of the impact of this type of incident on the club. However, Danny is a Gloucester Rugby player and will receive our full support as we focus on the exciting season ahead.”
The 30-year-old fly-half has played for England 16 times and moved from premiership club Wasps to Gloucester in the summer.
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