Off to jail with you sonny jim...

[stressederic]

Jaw Smash Player Jailed

Updated: 13:24, Thursday January 11, 2007

 

A footballer has been jailed for four months for smashing a rival player's jaw during an FA Cup match.

 

It is thought to be the first time a player has been imprisoned in England for an offence on the pitch.

 

Barrow defender James Cotterill, 24, pleaded guilty to punching Bristol Rovers striker Sean Rigg, causing him grievous bodily harm during a first round match on November 11 last year.

 

Half-an-hour into the "highly charged" game Cotterill fractured Mr Rigg's jaw in two places with a left-hook, Preston Crown Court heard.

 

The jaw will need to be held together with metal plates for the rest of his life.

 

Television cameras captured the off-the-ball assault, which was shown that evening to millions of viewers on the BBC's Match of the Day programme.

 

 

Passing sentence, Judge Robert Brown said: "The courts have for a long time now made it absolutely clear that this sort of violence on the field of play cannot and will not be tolerated.

 

"And for this kind of off-the-ball incident a custodial sentence is inevitable."

 

Judge Brown said he took into account Cotterill's decision to plead guilty at the first opportunity, the remorse he had expressed for the assault and his previous good record on the pitch, when passing sentence.

 

The defender made no reaction as he was sent down.

 

His mother and a young female friend or family member, who were in the public gallery, both started crying after the sentence was read out.

 

The only other football player in living memory to be jailed for an assault during a match was Scottish player Duncan Ferguson in 1995.

 

Ferguson, who was playing for Rangers, headbutted Raith Rovers' John McStay during a game in 1994. He was sentenced to three months in prison.

 

Sky News

 

Well spending some time in prison never did Duncan Ferguson's career any harm...

[denver]

Why is it they never mention that Ferguson was on Parole when he did that head butt which is why he got sent down?

[Paul B]

Very, very harsh, that. Just watched it on Granada Reports and okay, it was a punch and a cowardly one at that as the other guy had his back to him but prison? The man's got a young family and was of previous good character. You see these police-type programmes where the local hoolies are shown battering coppers and getting arrested and they nearly always say, "So-and-so was let off with a caution". Feel sorry for the lad to be honest. Okay, in an ideal world, he would go to jail and then we'd see fewer of these sorts of assaults everywhere but let's have some consistency.

[R A Softlad]

Anyone got a link to the vid?

[Redwire]

Anyone got a link to the vid?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd9vfxoGzcw

[johngibo YPC]

You see that in Rugby every week. Willie Mason got a one match ban for far worse

Edited January 11, 2007 by johngibo YPC

[R A Softlad]

Looks harmless enough but I agree with Lawrenson (for once) it is assault.

[Guest redmilky]

I know Sean Rigg a bit and it was really f***ing nasty, and the having plates in his jaw will affect him for life (albeit hopefully not too much).

I'm hardly impartial but i reckon a couple of months inside is about right.

[Gunga Din]

Looks harmless enough but I agree with Lawrenson (for once) it is assault.

 

a tackle would be assault too if you didnt get the ball. i agree with Paul B, very harsh

[R A Softlad]

No there's a difference between a mistimed tackle and tw*tting a fella miles off the ball.

[fyds]

No there's a difference between a mistimed tackle and tw*tting a fella miles off the ball.

Have to agree - tackles, good, bad, nasty, mistimed - part of the game. Punching people and breaking their jaw in a cowardly manner - nothing to do with the game. I feel no sympathy for the twunt at all.

[Guest TanMan]

You see that in Rugby every week. Willie Mason got a one match ban for far worse

 

He's calmed down since he started singing folk songs, thankfully.

[Walrus]

What's the difference between this and what that Wigan lad McCulloch did a couple of weeks ago?

[JohnnyH]

Just watched it and he deserves to be sent down. Cowardly little s****. If you're willing to throw punches around and break someones jaw, then you can't complan about the consequences. He'll be out in 2 months so it'll have no effect on his family other then to point out that hitting people is wrong.

 

Also, just because some other judge gave the wrong sentance in letting someone off, doesn't mean this Judge should.

[johngibo YPC]

Just watched it and he deserves to be sent down. Cowardly little s****. If you're willing to throw punches around and break someones jaw, then you can't complan about the consequences. He'll be out in 2 months so it'll have no effect on his family other then to point out that hitting people is wrong.

 

Also, just because some other judge gave the wrong sentance in letting someone off, doesn't mean this Judge should.

 

to be fair to the lad he has always said he deserves whatever comes his way

[theredfella]

You see that in Rugby every week. Willie Mason got a one match ban for far worse

 

Great point.

[kop205]

What's the difference between this and what that Wigan lad McCulloch did a couple of weeks ago?

 

I suppose the only difference is the actual damage that was done to the victim. Likewise with the Mason incident (which resulted in a broken nose but not metal plates and stuff like that).

 

Must say though, how much damage you do is pretty much in the lap of the gods and I'd agree that the Mason incident was more viscious. Stuff like this happens all the time, it just rarely results in very serious injury I suppose. From what I can tell, there seems to be very different tolerance levels in football and rugby about stuff like this though for some reason.

Edited January 13, 2007 by kop205

[DonRafa]

Have to agree - tackles, good, bad, nasty, mistimed - part of the game. Punching people and breaking their jaw in a cowardly manner - nothing to do with the game. I feel no sympathy for the twunt at all.

 

My sentiments exactly