Rugby star guilty of attacking his wife’s ‘lover’
A FORMER Scottish rugby international has been convicted of assaulting a man he suspected of having an affair with his estranged wife.
Winger Simon Danielli was found guilty of striking Michael Browne in the face in a scuffle, leaving him with a black eye.
But he was cleared of assault and criminal damage against his estranged wife Olivia, 29, who claimed he had pushed her to the ground and smashed her mobile phone.
Oxford-educated Danielli, 37, was convicted despite character witnesses testifying on his behalf – including Ireland and Ulster captain Rory Best, a onetime teammate.
Mr Best said 6ft 2in, 17-stone Danielli, born in Edinburgh, was a man who would back away from a fight, had displayed no aggression on or off the field and was a man of ‘honesty and integrity’.
Danielli claimed Mr Browne was injured when he fell during a ‘full pelt’ sprint as he fled during the incident in Holywood, County Down, in March 2015.
But District Judge Mark Hamill told Newtownards Magistrates Court he was satisfied father-of-three Danielli had struck Mr Browne in the face and fined him £500.
The judge said defence suggestions he had sustained such a grievous black eye in a fall were ‘fanciful’ and that he assessed Mr Browne as a ‘reliable witness’.
But he said he could not convict the rugby star of attacking Mrs Danielli, adding: ‘Sadly, these two are at loggerheads.
‘The idea that the unsupported word of a squabbling spouse against that of the other could provide proof beyond a reasonable doubt is unlikely enough at the best of times.’
He accused the pair of using the court system to wash their ‘dirty linen’ in public.
In a statement last night, Danielli said: ‘I deeply regret
‘I deeply regret the incident’
the incident which led to these charges.
‘I have denied all along assaulting my wife and causing criminal damage to her phone. I did not engage with my wife at any time during this incident, let alone assault her, and I am pleased to be vindicated.
‘I have been wholly exonerated by the court of these charges.
‘I am aware that when Michael Browne ran away from me, tripped and fell, this was an assault, which I pleaded guilty to at the outset. However, I did not kick or punch him.
‘I remain in Northern Ireland as my three amazing children are my top priority and I have and will dedicate my life to putting them first.’
The court also heard there is an outstanding case against Mrs Danielli over claims she damaged her husband’s £38,000 Jaguar, which she denies.
During her husband’s trial, Mrs Danielli, the daughter of one of Northern Ireland’s richest men, Shamus Jennings, also claimed he had bugged the marital home.
She said he had driven there after the assault, where she found him ripping out recording devices she claimed he had planted in the hallway.
The court heard Danielli was questioned by police and temporarily had his assets frozen over claims he stole £250,000 from his wife’s bank account. Police later took no further action.
Danielli – who won 32 Scotland caps and played in two World Cups – and his wife, a former model, were married in 2009 but separated in September 2014.
He famously saved Scotland from an embarrassing defeat against Romania in their first game of the 2011 World Cup by scoring two tries in the final minutes of the match.
Danielli, who went to £34,500a-year Cheltenham College, retired from rugby in 2012 due a back injury.
He was previously engaged to model Danielle Bux, who later married Gary Lineker, and works as an investment adviser while also providing rugby commentary for BBC Radio Ulster.