Rugby star’s England career in doubt after £2,000 fine for assault
DANNY CIPRIANI’S England rugby career was last night in doubt after he pleaded guilty to charges of common assault and resisting arrest following an incident in which a female police officer was injured.
Cipriani was fined £2,000 at Jersey Magistrates’ Court yesterday and ordered to pay £250 compensation for the bruised neck which the officer suffered during the confrontation at the Royal Yacht Hotel in St Helier early on Wednesday.
Gloucester Rugby have come out in “full support” of their player, but the Rugby Football Union declined to comment and the 30-year-old’s international future now hangs in the balance only two months after it was relaunched in South Africa.
Cipriani set up the crucial try in the third Test victory in Cape Town, his first start in a decade, ending England’s six-game losing run and improving the prospects of the fly-half’s involvement in next year’s World Cup.
But the latest lapse of judgement lengthens an extensive disciplinary record, threatening to cast him back into the international wilderness so soon after persuading head coach Eddie Jones he is too gifted to be overlooked.
Controversy has dogged Cipriani throughout his career, including a conviction for drink-driving after he crashed his MercedesBenz into a taxi in London in 2015.
ENGLAND RUGBY star Danny Cipriani has apologised to the police after injuring a female officer as he resisted arrest outside a Jersey bar.
The 30-year-old grappled with officers as they tried to detain him following a row in which he pulled a tie off a doorman at the Royal Yacht Hotel in St Helier early on Wednesday.
A police officer suffered bruising after fly-half Cipriani tried to break free from his handcuffs.
He was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £250 compensation at Jersey Magistrates’ Court yesterday after pleading guilty to resisting arrest and common assault.
Cipriani issued a “heartfelt apology” in a statement to “my club, teammates, supporters and most importantly the police”.
“They have a tough and vital job and I’m mortified that, earlier this week, I acted in a way that I hugely regret. I am truly sorry,” he said. “I was wrong to argue with a bouncer, and pull on his camera tie. I was also wrong to resist arrest.”
Cipriani was on a team night out with his club Gloucester when a doorman stopped him from walking out of the bar with two drinks, prosecutor Samantha Morris said.
The bouncer called police after Cipriani became “physically aggressive”, the court heard.
Miss Morris said he “refused to understand why he was being arrested” and “tensed up”, refusing to put his arms behind his back.
He had one hand in a handcuff but broke his other arm free, pushed towards the female officer and grabbed hold of her shirt, the court heard. The police officer suffered bruising to her right bicep and reddening to her chest, Miss Morris said.
Mike Preston, mitigating yesterday, said: “He has suffered extreme embarrassment and knows he has let himself, his family and his club down.” Sentencing Cipriani, magistrate Sarah Fitz said the police do a difficult job and must be protected.
Gloucester Rugby chief executive Stephen Vaughan described the incident as “very disappointing to be associated with” but said the club was standing by the player.
He said Cipriani “knows his responsibilities and is aware of the impact of this type of incident on the club”.