‘Fake gangster’ has jail time suspended
UFC star McGregor in custody after New York rampage
HE was once a crowd favourite for his ability to make opposing players look silly.
But yesterday, disgraced soccer player Nicolas Bechar was the one ridiculed, as a judge dubbed the Frenchman a fake gangster.
Bechar was sentenced after punching an engaged woman 10 times in the face when she spurned his advances.
The former Sunshine Coast Fire player was sentenced in the Brisbane District Court for what Judge William Everson called a cowardly, disgusting, and “primitive” attack.
After a night out at Fortitude Valley’s GPO Hotel, the 28-year-old persuaded a woman to let him give her a lift about 5am. He then propositioned her, but she declined his advances and showed her engagement ring.
Bechar punched her, she begged him to stop, but he continued, hitting her at least 10 times in the face.
The woman had an eye socket fracture and needed surgery after the August 2016 attack.
Bechar, who moved to Surfers Paradise and played for Redlands United FC after his spell with the Fire, was charged with causing grievous bodily harm.
The court yesterday heard of a separate incident that landed the soccer player in strife.
Judge Everson said a security
DOES HE GO TO NIGHTCLUBS AND PRETEND TO BE A GANGSTER OR SOMETHING?
JUDGE WILLIAM EVERSON
ULTIMATE fighting champion Conor McGregor is in police custody after turning himself in for questioning after a wild rampage in New York.
Two fighters have withdrawn from UFC 223 because of injuries suffered when McGregor attacked a bus carrying guard approached Bechar after he was seen “mistreating a woman” by pulling her hair.
Bechar responded by saying: “You really don’t know who I am?”
The footballer lifted his shirt and showed what appeared to be a firearm.
It was a replica.
“Does he go to nightclubs and pretend to be a gangster?” Judge Everson asked.
The judge said that “bizarre and ridiculous” incident led to Bechar being fined $1500 last September.
For his assault on the woman, Bechar was jailed for 18 months but the sentence was wholly suspended.
The court heard Bechar would likely be deported, and had been in immigration detention on Christmas Island.
Bechar’s defence counsel Daniel Caruana said his client reported island detainees were self-harming.
The footballer had spent 359 days in custody.
Bechar left the courtroom and went to an adjacent room before Serco staff took him away. Border Force was approached for comment. competitors from media event.
The 29-year-old is expected to be hit with multiple charges.
Video of the incident shows McGregor hurling an item through a side window of the bus as it moved slowly in a car park at the Barclays Centre. a
UFC president Dana White said fighter Michael Chiesa, who was on the bus, had been admitted to hospital with cuts to his face.
Chiesa later withdrew from his scheduled bout against Anthony Pettis. Flyweight Ray Borg, who was going to fight Brandon Moreno, is also reportedly off the card after experiencing eye issues from what is believed to be a piece of glass from the shattered window.
“They got down to the loading docks where the fighters were getting on the buses and attacked them, throwing trash cans, dollies, things like that,” Mr White said. “Broke one of the windows, cut Michael Chiesa real bad, cut his hand, cut his face.
“This is the most disgusting thing that has ever happened in the history of the company.”