An international poker player and his dad instigated a violent incident at an Aberdeen casino – injuring a female police officer.
Professional cards expert Thomas Ward, 36, and his father Mark Ward, 63, were both arrested by the police.
They’d been involved in an altercation when the pair were denied entry to the city’s Grosvenor Casino on Exchequer Row.
Thomas Ward, who’s won thousands of pounds in global competitions, manhandled a bouncer before striking the policewoman across the face.
Then he attacked a policeman – repeatedly trying to bite him – Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
‘A situation developed’ as pair denied entry
During the incident, his father, Mark Ward, pulled out a braid of hair belonging to one of the bouncers and threw it back at the man – flicking him in the face.
Fiscal depute Georgia Laird told the court that, around 11:24pm, the father and son approached two security guards who refused the pair entry – then a “situation developed”.
She said Thomas Ward grabbed a bouncer by the body and attempted to pull him down to the ground, which was unsuccessful.
As his son was struggling with the bouncer, Mark Ward attempted “to stop this” and grabbed hold of the security guard’s hair braid and “flicked” it at his face, the court heard.
Policewoman suffered bruised and swollen nose
When police arrived on the scene, they tried to speak to Thomas Ward, who ran off.
As officers chased him, he swung out his arm – striking a female police officer in the face.
An ongoing struggle, which took place between Thomas Ward, required other officers to use leg restraints to subdue the offender.
Ms Laird said that, as Thomas Ward was arrested, he repeatedly tried to bite a policeman.
The policewoman, who was struck by Thomas Ward, suffered a bruised and swollen nose during the violent ordeal.
Thomas Ward, of North Beach Road in Balmedie, pled guilty to one charge of assault and two charges of assaulting police officers.
He also admitted to one charge of resisting arrest.
Father-of-four, Mark Ward, of the same address, pled guilty to one charge of assault.
Mike Monro, the defence solicitor for Mark Ward, told the court his client and his son had been out watching live music when they decided to visit the casino.
“My client is a member of the casino and there was some sort of remonstration at the door with his son,” Mr Monro said.
“He tries to stop anything from occurring and is pushed back into the revolving door of the casino, at which point he has grabbed whatever he could.
“As he is falling backwards, he has taken a hair braid and the braid then hit the bouncer in the face.
“I can’t dispute that he’s committed an assault, which my client regrets.”
Thomas Ward’s defence agent, Christopher Maitland, described his client as “extremely drunk” that night and “deeply ashamed” of his actions.
“It’s an odd thing to have done,” he said. “The bouncer was a lot bigger than Mr Ward and trying to get him on the ground was always going to be unsuccessful.”
Mr Maitland went on the say that his client “accepts” that he assaulted police officers.
“He’s a professional poker player but he hasn’t been able to play due to the worry that he’s had over court. He wants to get back to gambling professionally,” Mr Maitland added.
Sheriff Nigel Cooke told Thomas Ward that “it seems to me that you were the one who started this difficulty and dragged your father into it” and fined him a total of £840.
He told Mark Ward that despite showing “a lack of judgment” he was drawn into the matter by his son and admonished him on the assault charge.
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