A soccer player who punched a referee in the face was fined $2,500 and banned from the sport for life, but won’t be jailed.
Declan James Evans launched the vicious attack when he was sent off for abusive language during a match in country Queensland on July 22.
The 18-year-old competitive powerlifter pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm in the Gympie Magistrates Court on Sunday.
Declan James Evans, 18, admitted sucker-punching the referee at the match in country Queensland, hitting him so hard in the jaw he couldn’t eat properly afterwards
Evans was fined $2,500 and banned from the sport for life, but won’t be jailed
Evans admitted he was so angry he probably would have hit the umpire even if there were police at the match between Golden City and Columbia, according to the Gympie Times.
The court heard he was given a yellow card for an unfair tackle and angrily swore as he walked away, but the referee heard it and called him over.
Golden City’s captain had to hold Evans back as he became increasingly enraged and hurled abuse at the umpire and lunged at him.
Upon being given a red card for his behaviour the teenager punched the official in the jaw so hard the victim couldn’t eat properly after the attack.
Other players then rushed over and held Evans down while the referees left the field.
Evans launched the vicious attack when he was sent off for abusive language during a match in country Queensland on July 22
Evans is a keen powerlifter and won silver at the Australian National Championships last year, and attended the Asia/Oceania Championships in December
Evans told police after his arrest that he lost control of himself because he felt his team was unfairly treated during the game.
His lawyer told the court Evans was autistic and suffered from ADHD – for which he didn’t take medication – and avoided confrontations as a ‘coping mechanism’ and the referee calling him over triggered his behaviour.
However, he admitted though his client’s conditions contributed, the umpire never said anything to him during the game and there was no excuse for the attack.
Magistrate Ross Woodford said the assault was serious and alarming, and that players needed to respect referee instructions.
‘Refs can’t go out there and worry, “gee, am I going to be assaulted today?”‘ he said.
The match was held between Golden City (pictured) and Columbia on July 22
He fined Evans $2,000 and ordered him to pay $500 compensation to the victim, and Football Federation Australia issued him with a lifetime ban.
The ban means he can’t play soccer anywhere in the country again, or attend matches.
Evans is a keen powerlifter and won silver at the Australian National Championships last year, and attended the Asia/Oceania Championships in December.
He raised $2,000 in a crowdfunding campaign to pay for his travel costs to attend the national competition.
The brawny 59kg teen can squat 115kgs, bench press 80kgs, and dead lift 130kgs, training four days a week last year, his mother Bronwyn said.