A LEADING rugby official ended up in court for swearing at a coffee seller at the Siam Cup.

Geoffrey Renouf (pictured), chairman of the Guernsey Rugby Academy, denied disorderly behaviour at the inter-island match in May when he appeared in the Magistrate’s Court.

Mr Renouf, who is a member of the Siam Cup organising committee, swore at Cafe2U owner Chris Vine when he refused to leave the Foote’s Lane venue.

But assistant-Magistrate Philip Robey said that Mr Vine’s behaviour would have tested anyone.

While the court ruled that the academy chairman’s behaviour was disorderly, he avoided conviction because of ‘extenuating circumstances’ and the charge was dismissed.

Mr Vine had been aware since the day before the match that he was not welcome at the ground.

He was trading in competition with the academy’s own food and drinks stalls, manned by 25 volunteers to raise cash to send children on rugby trips.

The Guernsey Rugby Club had paid to hire the venue for the day.

The day-long court session heard that Mr Renouf was the third official to approach Mr Vine on the morning of 3 May.

Each time he refused to move.

Mr Renouf, 59, of La Carriere, Croute Becrel, Vale, admitted swearing during his discussion with ‘gatecrasher’ Mr Vine.

But he denied threatening him as had been alleged.

Mr Vine told the court he feared for his safety when Mr Renouf came within 2ft of him with fists clenched and face contorted. But catering coordinator Angus McLellan, who was with Mr Renouf at the time, said that this had not been the case.

He described Mr Vine as ‘sneering’ and ‘snide’ and added that both men swore during the heated conversation.

GRFC chairman Adie Le Page, who had already asked Mr Vine to leave, said the complainant was ‘very aggressive’, while Andrew Collenette, Culture and Leisure’s operations manager at Foote’s Lane, said he was ‘belligerent’.

Rebecca Link, who was licensee at the Guernsey Hockey Club at the time, concurred with Mr Vine’s version of events.

She described the incident as ‘quite bad’, adding that it was a shame because there were children around.

Mr Vine eventually left the ground when police were called just before 11am.

Advocate Peter Ferbrache, for Mr Renouf, told the court that people did not live in a puritanical world but in a practical one.

He said the very fact that Mr Renouf, who did an extraordinary job for more than 400 young rugby players, was in court at all was ‘strange’. It was no more than two men being annoyed with one another, he added.

Mr Robey said Mr Vine’s evidence gave him cause for concern because his memory was ‘slightly selective’.

He found Mr Renouf was honest in giving evidence. He had admitted calling Mr Vine swear words and that voices were raised.

Mr Vine, however, told the court he had said nothing at all during the incident.

Mr Robey said that while he might not have been grossly offended by the language, some people would have been and therefore the court considered Mr Renouf’s behaviour to be disorderly.

But he added that Mr Vine’s behaviour would have ‘tried the patience of a saint’ and that the club – doing praiseworthy work – had had to put up with a gatecrasher making a profit at the expense of others.

Dismissing the charge, the assistant-magistrate told Mr Renouf: ‘This order allows you to leave [the court] with no conviction.’