Cambridge: Man Jailed For Headbutt

25 May 2013, 06:26 | Updated: 25 May 2013, 06:29

A man from Cambridge has been jailed for headbutting a player during an amateur Sunday league football match.

22 year old Nathan Giltinane [pictured - right] was the linesman during a match between Gransden and Arbury at Cottenham Village College on February 24.

About 10 minutes before the final whistle, Giltinane's 18-year-old brother, who was playing for Arbury, tackled the victim, a 30-year-old man from Little Gransden, sparking a brief altercation between the two players.

Giltinane then ran onto the pitch and headbutted the victim, leaving him with serious facial injuries. 

He then ran back to the sidelines. 

The attack was reported to police after the match.

Giltinane, of Hazelwood Close, Cambridge, handed himself in at Parkside Police Station a few days later.

On Thursday (23 May), he was jailed at Cambridge Crown Court after admitting causing grievous bodily harm.

DC Paul Thornton, who investigated the case alongside officials from the Football Association, said: "The incident that led to this assault was a typical altercation between players in a football match but Giltinane's reaction was grossly over the top.

The victim was left with significant injuries that required hospital treatment and the whole thing happened in front of many people, including children. 

The sentence demonstrates that there is never any excuse for violence and it will be treated very seriously."