A youth football coach has avoided going to prison after he punched and knocked out a parent during an under-13s match in Aberdeen.
Shaun Barney, 37, assaulted the man following a meaty challenge between players during the game at Banks O Dee’s Spain Park in January last year.
Following the tackle, a fight broke out between the players before parents and coaches ran onto the field in an effort to stop it.
During the rammy, Barney grabbed a parent of one of the opposing players and punched him once, causing him to fall to the ground unconscious, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
Barney’s solicitor, Tony Burgess, described the assault by his client as an incident that “spiralled out of control”.
Parent fell to ground unconscious
Fiscal depute Calum Gordon told the court that at around 1.15pm on January 28 last year, a game kicked off between Peterhead Boys Club and Kincorth Emirates Youth Football Club at Spain Park, Aberdeen.
It is understood that Barney was a coach for Kincorth at the time.
“At around 2.35pm, following a hard tackle by a Peterhead player, a fight between players ensued on the pitch,” Mr Gordon said.
“Numerous parents, including the complainer, ran onto the pitch in an effort to stop the fighting.”
The fiscal depute stated that, during the disturbance, Barney grabbed the jacket of one parent and punched him once in the face, causing him to fall to the ground and briefly lose consciousness.
It resulted in the man suffering a deep laceration on his upper lip, due to the lip splitting, and causing it to bleed heavily.
Barney’s victim was taken to hospital where his lip needed to be stitched back together.
He now has a small scar on his upper lip.
The police were called but Barney had already left the scene. He was later traced, cautioned and arrested.
In the dock, Barney pleaded guilty to one charge of assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement.
Coach was supposed to be setting a good example to kids
Defence solicitor Tony Burgess told the court that while trying to break up the fight between the children on the pitch “things became heightened” between his client and the parent.
“Mr Barney panicked and got angry and told hold of the person and threw a punch, causing severe injury and the man to lose consciousness,” the solicitor said.
“He didn’t realise what a single punch could do – that it can end up in the High Court. Fortunately for him, that’s not what happened here.
“This was a situation that spiralled out of control.”
Mr Burgess also stated that his client had struggled with cocaine and alcohol use at the time but was now managing that situation and had it under control.
Sentencing Barney, Sheriff Craig Findlater told him that he should have been “setting a positive example” for the children he was coaching that day.
“Instead of the adults diffusing the situation, you got involved in violence with one of the other adults in the other team.”
The sheriff also pointed out that Barney had a previous record of offending, including crimes of violence.
As an alternative to a prison sentence, Sheriff Findlater made Barney, of Gordon’s Mills Crescent, Aberdeen, subject to a CPO with supervision and ordered him to carry out 190 hours of unpaid work.
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