Torre FC player punches Ashburton referee

[Gullscorer]

Outrageous and disgraceful behaviour. This player should be banned from football for life and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. And if necessary the ref should sue him for all he's got.. http://www.torquayheraldexpress.co.uk/g ... story.html

[ferrarilover]

Agree entirely based on the facts we have. I see the relationship between referee and player as so worthy of protection that, in order to send an appropriate message, I'd send the player to prison. Unlike in similar situations which occur every day in public, I'd say that a referee, engaging in his role as an official, should have a right to expect a higher level of implicit protection from attack, because he is bound by his position to make himself unpopular with players. This is a policy decision as much as a factual one. We struggle for referees as it is, the last thing we need is this sort of incident putting off yet more intending officials.

Matt.

[divingbboy]

Reading one of the South Devon football forums, it would appear that the facts are even worse than they first sound. From what I can tell, the culprit had already been banned for life from playing, had previous for violent conduct (including time inside) and was knowingly signed by Torre FC under a false name. Unbelievable. Hope the referee makes a speedy recovery.

[Gullscorer]

Reading one of the South Devon football forums, it would appear that the facts are even worse than they first sound. From what I can tell, the culprit had already been banned for life from playing, had previous for violent conduct (including time inside) and was knowingly signed by Torre FC under a false name. Unbelievable. Hope the referee makes a speedy recovery.

Apparently the club official involved is 23 years old and has apologised for his 'naivety' in putting this unregistered player on the field:
http://pub16.bravenet.com/forum/static/ ... 9&cmd=show Nevertheless he should know that this sort of thing is totally unacceptable and he must be prepared to face the consequences of his actions.

Fortunately it appears the ref has not suffered a broken jaw, but massive bruising and trauma. I agree entirely with Matt; match officials provide a service purely from their love of the game and must be protected.

This player must be brought to justice and dealt with severely. The authorities need to stamp down hard on such atrocious and criminal conduct.

[Dave_Pougher]

Agreed, I know you shouldn't put to much store by everything you read but it appears reading through the forums this thug hasn't even been spoken to by the police yet let alone arrested or charged. How,on earth does,that happen?

[ferrarilover]

"Police attended and spoke to players from both sides.

They confirmed that an altercation had taken place between a match official and a player.

On Sunday a spokesman confirmed investigations were ongoing but there had been no arrests."

Read more: http://www.torquayheraldexpress.co.uk/F ... z30s215U8Q

Due process takes time.

We could, of course, have a police force which simply rocks up and nicks the likeliest looking lad in the vicinity. If you'd like to live in a place like that, North Korea is about 8000 miles that way.

Matt.

[Yellow4life]

I happen to know Don,

I also had this Torre team just the week before this happened, the gut wasn't playing then; having seen his face that is and not by his name!

I believe most think it should be a life ban from playing, else this may happen again.

[PlainmoorRoar]

Apparently the club official involved is 23 years old and has apologised for his 'naivety' in putting this unregistered player on the field:
http://pub16.bravenet.com/forum/static/ ... 9&cmd=show Nevertheless he should know that this sort of thing is totally unacceptable and he must be prepared to face the consequences of his actions.

Fortunately it appears the ref has not suffered a broken jaw, but massive bruising and trauma. I agree entirely with Matt; match officials provide a service purely from their love of the game and must be protected.

This player must be brought to justice and dealt with severely. The authorities need to stamp down hard on such atrocious and criminal conduct.

The 'club offical' lad clearly knew who is was and what they were doing, they've folded to avoid any action, he too should be banned

[gullintwoplaces]

As Matt says, due process takes time. I just hope that this thug is charged and does go to jail. If he does not then the signal that this sends is dreadful. As somebody from a more draconian persuasion, I think he should be manacled to a wall for five years with bread and water for sustenance, but I may be out on a limb here. I wonder if (a) he is able to read and (b) he reads this forum if he is literate. I would love to explain my perspective to him.

[Yellow4life]

injuries and interview here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... 6_05_2014/

[ferrarilover]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-27777298

"A man has been charged with attacking a referee..."

NO HE **** HASN'T! THERE'S NO REFEREES (PROTECTION FROM ATTACK) ACT 1997! "ATTACKING A REFEREE" IS NOT SOMETHING THE CPS CAN PROSECUTE!!!!!!!

He's been charged with either ABH or (if they're feeling ambitious) s. 20 GBH. Please, The BBC, you're supposed to be a professional service, something admired the world over for the accuracy, impartiality and professionalism of your service. Stop inventing crimes and using appallingly lazy language in your reporting. If a man has been charged with a crime, them say as much and give the details later. Don't assume we're all as stupid as you and that we'll just accept whatever you say. You're part of the problem of "I know my rights, I get a phone call". Peddling your badly scripted, unresearched and ill-informed tripe.

Report the news properly or don't **** bother, your choice.

Also, the attacker has been charged. That may have been lost in the rest of my post. He's bailed to appear at Torquay MC on 26th June. I might go for a laugh.

Matt.

[PlainmoorRoar]

they are going for ABH

http://www.torquayheraldexpress.co.uk/P ... story.html

rightly so IMO

[gullintwoplaces]

they are going for ABH

http://www.torquayheraldexpress.co.uk/P ... story.html

rightly so IMO

Those pictures are shocking. He must have given him quite a beating, poor bloke. I just hope that sentence will reflect crime, although it rarely does these days. As I said above, crimes like this I would give five years manacled to a wall.

[Dave]

Technical reporting of this is neither here nor there Matt, to be honest. The most important thing is this lad is not going to get away with such a cowardly attack, I'm led to believe he'd signed for Torre under a false name due to the fact he already had a life ban from football, also had threatened a referee in the previous match, apparently been working as an unlicensed taxi driver as well, nasty piece of work that wants locking up.

[Gullscorer]

Matt, my initial reaction to your post was that you were (not for the first time) being hair-splittingly pedantic, but that's rather like the pot calling the kettle black! On reflection, I feel you make a good point regarding lazy and inaccurate reporting. This is not just a problem with the BBC of course, it happened in the local press, and it's to be found in the media generally, but we rightly expect the BBC, as one of the nation's great institutions, to be held to much higher standards.

But there's another area of even greater concern which has become noticeable in recent years, perhaps since the end of John Birt's time as Director-General of the BBC. This is the gradual but distinctly conspicuous encroachment of bias. Bias is something we have always expected in the press, where a variety of opinions and viewpoints somehow generally emerge. But we do not, and should not, expect the almost monopolistic BBC to act as a propaganda sheet where one point of view is overwhelmingly presented and opposing views are greatly suppressed. Yet that's the way things are heading at the Corporation. It happens on Sky too, of course, but what should concern us all is that the broadcasters, BBC, Sky, and the press, generally seem to be moving in the same direction.

They follow, for the most part, what they believe to be the prevailing zeitgeist in its pro-EU, pro-Israeli, anti-Arab, pro-feminist, authoritarian political correctness. But this world-view is heavily influenced by a particular section of society, London-based and emerging from a system which has been becoming less educational and more indoctrinating, to the extent that it is quite out of touch with the thinking of the general population around the country. This system is self-perpetuating, appointing and promoting its own kind, and so becoming more and more intolerant of anything which does not accord with the distorted perspectives of its own group mind. And it is more pronounced on the BBC than anywhere else.

You will appreciate that this is, unavoidably in two paragraphs, a simplistic presentation of a situation which is far more complex. But anyway, back on topic, whatever the actual wording used in the charge and in the reporting (and you are right, words are important) this guy has rightly been charged and will face the consequences of his actions. What worries me, much more than words, is that the day will surely come (if it has not already arrived) when we shall be prosecuted, fined, and imprisoned, for thinking the wrong thoughts..