ST. HELIER, Jersey (AP) — A court has fined England rugby player Danny Cipriani 2,000 pounds ($2,500) after he pleaded guilty to assault and resisting arrest following an incident at a nightclub on an island in the English Channel.
British rugby player Danny Cipriani leaves Jersey Magistrates’ Court, Saint Helier, Jersey, one of the Channel Islands, on Thursday Aug. 16, 2018, where he pleaded guilty to charges of common assault and resisting arrest following an incident in a nightclub on the island. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)
Cipriani, who made his 16th appearance for England against South Africa in June, was fined 1,500 pounds for resisting arrest and 500 pounds for assault. He was also ordered to pay 250 pounds in compensation to a female police officer who bruised her neck.
Hours after his appearance in court, Cipriani released a statement expressing his remorse.
“I want to start with a heartfelt apology. To my club, teammates, supporters and most importantly the police,” Cipriani said.
“They have a tough and vital job and I’m mortified that, earlier this week, I acted in a way that I hugely regret. I am truly sorry.”
But Cipriani added: “I would also like to put on record the words of the magistrate Sarah Fitz who publicly stated that ‘it was a minor incident’ and ‘a fine is more than sufficient.'”
The incident in St. Helier unfolded early Wednesday while Cipriani was on a pre-season tour of Jersey with new club Gloucester.
Gloucester chief executive Stephen Vaughan says Cipriani “will receive our full support.”
England’s Rugby Football Union has yet to comment on Cipriani’s latest episode in a poor disciplinary record that includes previous court appearances for drunk driving.
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