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Latest news in Yorkshire: October 15, 2018 07:00:16 PM
Ex-Rotherham rugby titan Simon Bunting is facing a possible jail
sentence after laying into revellers and door staff during a drunken
brawl at a seaside pub.
The strapping builder (47, pictured), threw punches “indiscriminately”
inside the packed Abbey Wharf bar in Whitby on June 9, Scarborough
magistrates heard.
Scarborough Magistrates’ Court heard Bunting lashed out after receiving
a call from home telling him his father Colin had died.
When he burst into tears and a group of men began taunting him, Bunting,
of Clarence Place, Maltby, sparked a melee which left a doorman injured
and needed police using a taser to subdue him.
Bunting was on a trip to the seaside town and joined up with a large
group of other men who were celebrating someone’s birthday and had gone
to a local rugby club to watch a game before moving on to the Abbey
Wharf, said prosecutor Mr Philip Morris.
The men were on a pub crawl when violence broke out at about 11pm
following a verbal altercation between Bunting and other males who were
said to dislike the rugby hard man, who played for Rotherham RUFC,
Doncaster and Sheffield Tigers and is currently on Dinnington RUFC’s
books.
“Mr Bunting was attacking members of the public indiscriminately,” said
Mr Morris.
A doorman saw Bunting “randomly punching people in the bar” and other
males were throwing punches back.
Bunting was said to have thrown “at least five punches”.
The doorman tried to push Bunting away and jumped on his back, but the
man mountain hit him at least twice and punched him in the eye, causing
a momentary blurring of his vision.
Bunting’s 18-year-old son Morgan assaulted another doorman during the
melee, believing that his father was under attack.
The doorman suffered cuts to his lip and soreness and swelling to his
cheek and jaw.
The violence spilled out into the street and police were called.
An officer tried to arrest Bunting senior but he put up a struggle,
forcing the officer to use his taser to bring him under control before
cuffing him.
An ambulance was called to the scene but despite injuries to the two
doormen, they did not need medical treatment.
Bunting senior, of Clarence Place, Maltby, was charged with common
assault, resisting a police officer and a public-order offence. He
denied the charges and appeared for what was due to be a trial at
Scarborough Magistrates’ Court on Friday, but pleaded guilty to assault
and resisting an officer on the day of trial. The public-order charge
was dropped.
Morgan Bunting, of the same address, admitted common assault.
The court heard that Bunting senior, a renowned tight-head prop who on a
club website lists his favourite drink as lager, had previous
convictions for criminal damage and public disorder, which led to a
suspended prison sentence in 2015.
The bench adjourned sentence to tommorow (Tuesday) to give the Probation
Service time to compile an “all-options” report. Bunting was bailed
until then.
Morgan Bunting was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to
pay £100 compensation to the doorman.
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News source: rotherhamadvertiser.co.uk