Father of junior footy player ‘headbutts his son’s coach’

The father of a star junior footy player allegedly headbutted his coach after the man benched his son for missing a training session.

Geoffrey James Whittaker pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault in Brisbane District Court after allegedly attacking his teenager’s touch football coach in front of his young daughter in October, 2016.

Mr Whittaker allegedly approached Christopher Roberts at his car following the competition where called him a ‘dog c**t’, hit his throat with his open palm and headbutted the bridge of his nose, the Sunshine Coast Daily reported.

Mr Whittaker’s son was a star rugby league player for Hervey Bay and was training with the senior squads despite being a junior player.

His father was allegedly incensed after Mr Roberts benched his son for missing training, with the coach denying a suggestion he was dropped ‘out of spite’ after a falling out between Mr Whittaker and his wife.  

‘He was talking fast, he started calling me a princess, I think something like that,’ Mr Roberts said of Mr Whittaker after he approached him in front of his daughter.

‘He has reached out with an open palm and hit me in the throat – I was pretty stunned at that time. Then with a few more swear words, he’s taken his hat off and lunged at me.

‘He head-butted me on the bridge of me nose.’

Mr Whittaker said Mr Roberts was lying about the incident, instead saying it was the coach who called him a ‘dog c**t’ and called his wife a ‘slag’.

‘He called me a junkie and a dog c***. We were in each other’s face. I wanted to punch him in the face,’ Mr Whittaker told the court. 

‘I braced forward and grabbed his hand and we both collided with each other,’ Mr Whittaker said, denying he head-butted the other man.

‘I can’t recall where I touched him but I wanted him out of my face.’

The trial continues.