A former professional rugby player smashed his fist into the face of a police officer trying to help him find his partner’s son.

Drunken Tommy Murray was so out of control after downing pints at a beer festival at Ashford Rugby Club that police had to Taser him twice.

Fighting among youngsters broke out during the event and police were called to deal with an on-field incident as the 31-year-old feared the teenage son of his lover was caught up in the fracas.

It was then that PC David Duffy offered to help the burly former rugby player in the search.

But Canterbury Crown Court heard that Murray, of Pemberton Road, Ashford, ignored the offer and piled into a group of taunting youngsters, hitting two of them.

“This police officer had done nothing more than try to help you and had given you every opportunity to walk away – he was left with a serious injury to his jaw” - Judge Heather Norton

Prosecutor Muktar Singh said PC Duffy then went to stop Murray from fighting – only to be downed by a punch which smashed his jaw.

The court heard that 17 months after the incident in August 2013, the officer is still not fully recovered.

Murray admitted, on the day of his trial, inflicting grievous bodily harm, only after asking the judge for an indication of the maximum sentence for a guilty plea.

He has now received a 21 month jail sentence suspended for 18 months.

But Judge Heather Norton ordered him to pay PC Duffy, who sat in court for the sentencing hearing, £2,500 compensation.

She said £500 had to be paid within a week and £2,000 within two months – and ordered him to stump up another £1,200 prosecution costs within six months.

She told him he had gone to the festival with family members including his young daughter, claiming he only drunk four or five pints of cider during the day.

The judge commented: “I am rather sceptical about that estimate because if that was the extent of what you drank over a four-hour period then, quite frankly, it makes what happened very difficult to understand.

"You didn’t think for one second that you getting involved would not have helped the situation” - Judge Heather Norton

“Because you chose – you chose – to become involved in a fracas that was taking place on the rugby pitch.

“I accept there is evidence that you were looking for your partner’s 14-year-old boy. There were also people around you that were trying to wind you up.

“However it is of some not inconsiderable concern to me, that your judgement and insight was so impaired (by drink) that you didn’t think for one second that you getting involved would not have helped the situation.”

She said the police officers, who were dealing with a separate incident of violence, noted that Murray was “fired up and shouting and angry”.

The officers tried to calm the rugby player down and offered to help search for the teenager.

The judge added: “You ignored them and what you did instead was to run towards a group of youngsters and, unprovoked, you were seen to punch two males.

“One of the police officers ran over to you but before he could do anything you turned around and punched him in the jaw knocking him to the ground.”

Police were then forced to use the Taser gun on Murray twice before he calmed down and apologised.

Judge Norton told him: “This police officer had done nothing more than try to help you and had given you every opportunity to walk away – he was left with a serious injury to his jaw.”

Nicholas Maggs, defending, said Murray “was a man in a rage” and didn’t know it was a police officer he had struck and was genuinely sorry for his actions when he realised.

Murray, a former professional rugby player, was given a 10-year ban from playing for Ashford Rugby Club following the incident.

Murray was also ordered to do 300 hours of unpaid work for the community.

Tommy Murray has now been banned from playing at Ashford Rugby Club for 10 years.
Club chairman John Norman said: “We banned him immediately after it happened.”

He added that the security measures at the annual beer festival, which has been running for 12 years at the club’s base in Kinney’s Lane and includes music from live bands, food and drink, have also been increased following the incident.

Last year they improved the lighting, put higher fences up and enclosed the area.

Mr Norman said: “We have such little trouble; this was a one off incident. Generally it is a family orientated festival.”

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