Player fined for assault
A TALENTED soccer player flung and kicked another man in a nightclub because he thought his girlfriend had been assaulted.
But CCTV footage could not show if the assault against the woman took place.
Yesterday Cairns FC player Bronson Jake Koppen pleaded guilty in the Cairns Magistrates Court to common assault at The Woolshed late last year.
Barrister Josh Trevino, instructed by Tom Eckersley, told the court Koppen had been affected by alcohol and had thought the victim had been harassing his girlfriend.
The court was told that Koppen was behind the victim when he grabbed him by the head and shoulder and flung him to the ground.
Koppen, a talented soccer player, then kicked the victim in the upper arm.
The court was told he was immediately remorseful and co-operative with police.
Koppen, 24, has no criminal history and pleaded guilty at the earliest possible time.
Mr Trevino said that no conviction should be recorded because his client still had options of playing soccer overseas and also coached children through his soccer club.
“Regardless of what you have perceived the victim to have done in relation to your girlfriend, it is never ever appropriate to resort to physical violence,” Magistrate Kerry Magee said.
“There is always the potential for things to go drastically wrong. When the victim was slung to the ground, if his head had connected to the floor in a certain way it could have been devastating.” Ms Magee took all factors into account and Koppen was fined $750. No conviction was recorded.