Rugby player sentenced to community service
Thursday 16th June 2011, 2:31PM BST.
Guernsey rugby player James Regnard arriving at Court for his trial. (1136849)
GUERNSEY rugby player James Regnard was sentenced 120 hours’ community service this morning.
He was found guilty in the Magistrate’s Court on 17 May of assaulting two Jersey opponents after last year’s Siam Cup.
The incident happened in the early hours of 2 May after both teams had been socialising in St Peter Port following Guernsey’s 36-0 defeat.
Regnard, 31, of Haute Rive, 2, Queen’s Road, St Peter Port, will also have to pay £449 compensation to one of the victims, Dave Felton.
The other victim was Paul Rodgers.
- More on this story in Friday’s Guernsey Press.
- To read Guernsey Press stories in full click here for subscription details. Individual editions are now available online.
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What a dufus! I think he has taken too many blows to the head.
Should have been sent down.
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This seems like a fair punishment to me. Putting him inside at great expense to the taxpayer would not have been an effective sentence. Much better to have all that beef being put to good use for the community for 120 hours.
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Deserved Prison – so you saw the whole thing did you? How else can you know whether he deserved to be sent down? Do you know whether there was provocation, what the injuries were, what the previous character of this man was?
I doubt it.
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@Martino
Agreed, would have liked to have seen an anger management course and alcohol rehabilitation thrown in as well though. This person does our island and in particular our sporting community no good whatsoever. His bullish ‘technique’ for settling scores, imagined or otherwise, is undesirable in the extreme and certainly not required here.
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@ Deserved Prison… why is this even an issue in your life? funny how you cant put down your name mr scaredy cat!!
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Seems lean. If i remember correctly, a guy last year threw one punch in a basketball match and gets sent to prison. This guys gets off.
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This punishment did befit the ‘crime’. Mr Regnard was guilty of a bad error of judgement that is true, he is also ‘guilty’ of being protective and loyal to the people who have the good fortune of calling him a mate, of which there are plenty. He has indeed taken many a blow to the head, whilst playing rugby passionately for his beloved club. How quickly some people are to pass judgement without considering all the why’s and wherefores. It does beggar belief. Good sense prevailed today – Finally !!
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But will he learn his lesson?
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He’s a very lucky man indeed.
I wonder whether a sentence of community servce will be enough. Hopefully he’s learned his lesson even from just the threat of jail.
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The whole story is an interinsular classic. Enjoyed reading it from the other side of the Atlantic
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@ Terry Langlois – Well said – Thank goodness there is someone with a clue on this island!!
@ Stilleto – I feel sad for you that you think this way – Anger management & Alcohol rehabilitation were not suggested from the proper channels for the very simple reason that they are not required. Please don’t assume that you speak for the whole island when you say James Regnard is “undesirable in the extreme and certainly not required here’ because that is simply not true. Quite clearly you do not know the same man I do, because if you did have any real knowledge of the big guy you would see that really he is a gentle giant who sticks by his mates and that was proved without a shadow of doubt by all the people who have supported him during this whole process. I live on this island so do not speak for me as you are talking absolute bull**** !!
@ Veritas – Yes I can confidently say that he has indeed learned his lesson
@ Hannah 100% You rock !!
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if a great big 20 year old unemployed bloke, on benefits, from a states housing estate, with no obvious talent for middle class sports, invades a well known island hotel in the early hours and, having considered his reasons for being there, still seriously beats up a resident in said hotel, do you think he would not go to prison?
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it was a common assault charge not even ABH – golly gosh thats guernsey gossip to the extreme !!
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I think he got off very lightly with this for several reasons.
Firstly Regnard does have previous in this area.
Secondly as a leading rugby player on the island and a role model for junior rugby players, this sends out totally the wrong message.
Finally Regnard’s behaviour goes against the principles of rugby where what happens on the pitch stays on the pitch and you share a beer with your opponent after the game.
It’s a very disappointing decision.
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Ur all a joke and just haters it’s rugby so get over it and shouldn’t of fine to court ur u have no idea
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Hannah
Why? If “scaredy cat” gave his name would you “send the boys round”
Is that not exactly why Mr Regnard got in trouble?
I think the punishment is about right, but this is just another sad example of the drinking culture we are breeding and the trouble that inevitably follows.
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