Six-a-side player gets more than a red card for foul play

Friday 21 May 2021

A man has been given a lengthy community service order after head-butting another player during a six-a-side football game.

Benjamin Vidamour, 29, appeared for sentencing at the Magistrate’s Court charged with assaulting another player at the KGV.

During an evening game on 22 July last year, the Court heard that Vidamour was tackled by another player and taken to the floor. He got up and argued with the person who tackled him, before eventually head-butting them in the face. 

He was given a red card and sent off the pitch.

Pictured: The assault took place during a match at the King George the Fifth playing fields.

Despite Vidamour apologising on social media later that evening, the victim filed a complaint to police.

It took a substantial amount of time for the case to get to sentencing, with processing times, staff absence and lockdown blamed for the delay.

He wasn’t arrested until October and a charge wasn’t laid against him until 19 January 2021, at which point Vidamour gave a guilty plea.

During his defence, Advocate Liam Roffey said Vidamour was actively placing himself in ‘pro-social’ groups and was trying to distance himself from his past, which included an assault back in 2013. 

“If a foul happens, you get up and let the referee deal with it,” said Judge Graeme McKerrell during his sentencing remarks.

Pictured: “Sport should be played in a sporting manner,” said Judge McKerrell.

Vidamour was sentenced to 140 hours of community service as a direct alternative to three months in prison.

He was also ordered to pay £350 compensation to the victim.