A footballer has been jailed and branded a coward for flooring a referee with a single punch as he reached into his pocket to give him a red card.
Grant Hardwick had already been so abusive towards another official in a game two days earlier that the match was abandoned.
He hit amateur referee Donald Distin so hard he knocked him to the ground and left him with such serious bruising to his face he had to take time off his work as an electrician and retained firefighter.
Six footer Hardwick was condemned as a coward by the judge at Exeter Crown Court because he hit the much smaller referee when he was not even looking at him and had his hand in his pocket pulling out the red card.
Recorder Mr Paul Dunkels, QC, jailed Hardwick for 16 months and said the sentence should act as a warning to any other players who may offer violence to football officials.
Midfielder Hardwick was playing as a ringer under a false name for Torre FC away against Ashburton when he punched 49-year-old Mr Distin in the game at Ashburton on Saturday May 5.
The referee had awarded him a free kick but he was unhappy about earlier decisions and became so abusive he was shown first a yellow and then a red card.
As Mr Distin was cautioning him he told another player "I'm going to punch that c***" before landing a single blow to the face.
He fled the ground as the game was abandoned but realised the seriousness of what he had done and drove straight to the police to hand himself in.
Hardwick, aged 26, of Totnes Road, Paignton, who normally plays for a team in Exeter, admitted causing actual bodily harm to Mr Distin and common assault though the threats he made two days earlier to referee Stephen Bygrave.
He was jailed for 16 months by Recorder Mr Dunkels at Exeter Crown Court.
He told him:"The aggravating features of this case are that you have previous convictions for violence, the ongoing effect on Mr Distin, and the offence was against a football referee providing a service to the public.
"It was committed in front of others involved in the game and while it was a single blow, that hardly reduces the seriousness because it was of such force that any more were unnecessary.
"It was a cowardly blow on a much smaller man who was not looking at you at the time and who had no opportunity to avoid it.
"This sentence is intended to deter people from threatening or assaulting those who volunteer to give up their time so footballers can enjoy their sport.
"Your perception that referees are one sided is no excuse whatsoever for your behaviour towards them."
Mr Gareth Evans, prosecuting, said the first incident involved only threats and happened at an evening game on Thursday May 1 when Hardwick was playing for Torre under a false name and became angry with the referee at the away game at Stoke Fleming.
Mr Bygrave had given an offside decision in Torre's favour but Hardwick became angry because the official was joking with the other side.
He became abusive and although the referee told him to chill out he carried on shouting insults and was eventually yellow and red carded. He refused to leave and eyeballed the referee, who eventually abandoned the match and was too frightened to go near the changing rooms until Hardwick left.
The attack on Mr Distin happened two days later at Ashburton, once again when the referee had given a decision in Hardwick's favour. Once again he was playing under a false name because he was not registered.
He complained earlier fouls had not been picked up and used such abusive language he was booked. He carried on until the referee showed him another yellow card.
Mr Evans said:"The referee says he reached for his red card and the next thing he could remember was being on the floor. One of the Ashburton players described Hardwick getting frustrated and saying 'I'm going to punch that c***."
Mr Distin has given up refereeing after 33 years as a result of the attack and suffered such severe bruising he avoided seeing his grandson for a week for fear of frightening him.
He suffered pain, blurred vision, post concussion symptoms, two damaged teeth and painful swelling and took time off both his full time job as an electrician and part time duties as a firefighter.
Hardwick handed himself into police, admitted the assault, and accepted his behaviour was not acceptable. He has since been banned for life by the Devon Football Association.
He has previous convictions dating back to 2010 for domestic violence and had undergone an anger management course during a previous jail sentence.
Miss Julia Brassington, defending, said Hardwick normally plays for a team near Exeter and did not want to turn out for Torre at all.
She said he had been persuaded to do so by his landlord, who managed the team, and who told him he would be fined and they would both risk losing his accommodation unless he played under false names.
She said Hardwick felt aggrieved at the refereeing in both matches, which he thought was biased but accepted he should not have lost his temper.
She argued that the public would be better protected by her client receiving help for his anger issues in the community. He is a hard working man who had a job with the NHS at the time but is currently employed at a holiday park in Torbay.
