Referee knocks man out cold (From Gazette Series)

Referee knocks man out cold

A FOOTBALL referee has been jailed for a year for kicking a man unconscious outside a Dursley pub because his son was singing the Bristol Rovers anthem Goodnight Irene, a court has been told.

Martin Tudor, 38, a football referee from Stonehouse, took exception to hearing Rovers fan Adam Smith singing the song outside the Kingshill Inn, on Kingshill Road on July 24.

Gloucester Crown Court heard last Friday how Tudor verbally insulted Mr Smith. Stephen Smith then defended his son, telling Tudor there was nothing wrong with supporting Bristol Rovers.

Prosecuting, Oliver Wilmott said that on hearing that Tudor walked over and kicked Mr Smith senior "with full force with his right leg".

Mr Smith, who was also with his partner Diane Lord, was rendered unconscious for about five minutes, said Mr Wilmott.

"Ms Lord said the noise of the kick was such that she thought Mr Smith must be dead."

Mr Smith was said to have suffered a fractured jaw and had blood coming from his ear as well as various grazes.

His jaw became misaligned and he had to have an operation to have metal plates inserted in it, added Mr Wilmott.

Tudor, of Brimley, Leonard Stanley admitted unlawfully wounding Mr Smith and was jailed for a year.

Mr Wilmott told the court that in a Victim Impact statement made last month Mr Smith said he had still not been able to return to work.

He had felt unable to go back to the Kingshill since the incident even though it had been his local and he had many friends there.

Tudor was said to have been to a stag night in Swindon that evening and had consumed "a considerable amount of alcohol", Mr Wilmott told the court James Bennett, defending, said that since the incident Tudor had undergone an anger management course.

He added: "His wife suffers from ME and also osteo-arthritis and she relies on him to a great extent.

"He is full of remorse for what he did. He says he is gutted, horrified and disgusted by it."

Jailing Tudor Judge Martin Picton told him: "This kind of drunken hideous violence cannot be tolerated and there is all too much of it in society today. "You caused very substantial harm to your victim and I suspect he will live with that in certain respects permanently."