The England rugby player Danny Cipriani has said he is “truly sorry” and “mortified” for his behaviour after pleading guilty to charges of common assault and resisting arrest, following an incident in a Jersey nightclub.

Cipriani was fined £2,000 after he pleaded guilty at Jersey magistrates court following the incident at the Royal Yacht hotel in St Helier in the early hours of Wednesday.

An officer suffered bruising after Cipriani grappled with police as they tried to detain him, the court was told on Thursday.

The incident occurred after an argument with a doorman who had objected to Cipriani taking two drinks outside the premises during a night out in the Jersey capital during Gloucester’s pre-season tour.

The doorman activated his body-worn camera after Cipriani became physically aggressive. This enraged Cipriani, who tore off the doorman’s tie to which the camera was clipped and walked away. The doorman then called the police.

Cipriani said he thought he was taking the drinks into an outside drinking area and did not realise he was leaving the premises. He then took exception to the doorman’s attitude.

After the hearing, Cipriani apologised to the magistrate, the police and the public and said he was mortified that he “acted in a way that I hugely regret”.

“I want to start with a heartfelt apology. To my club, teammates, supporters and most importantly the police. They have a tough and vital job and I’m mortified that, earlier this week, I acted in a way that I hugely regret. I am truly sorry,” he said in a statement.



“I was wrong to argue with a bouncer and pull on his camera tie. I was also wrong to resist arrest. This is why I pleaded guilty to these two charges, and all other charges were dropped by the prosecution. I was initially confused as to why I was being arrested by three officers,” he said.

“This led me to react in the wrong manner for a matter of seconds, seeking to hold off the police officers rather than accepting their decision … I would like to publicly thank the magistrate and the police and, once again, apologise both to them and to the public.”

The court had earlier heard how Cipriani was approached outside the nearby Pomme d’Or hotel after the doorman told police he wanted to make a formal complaint of assault.

The court was told that Cipriani refused to understand why he was being arrested and “tensed up”, refusing to put his arms behind his back and was still struggling when put in the police van.

He had one hand in a handcuff but broke his other arm free, pushed towards the officer and grabbed hold of her shirt, the court heard. The officer sustained bruising to her right bicep and reddening to her chest, the prosecutor Samantha Morris said.

“He candidly admits he had too much to drink,” his lawyer, Mike Preston, told the court.

“The bouncer prevented him from leaving. He took exception to the doorman’s attitude and particularly when the doorman activated his body worn camera,” he said.

“He is more sensitive to such actions given his celebrity than you or I might be.”

Preston said a crowd had gathered and Cipriani accepted that he had struggled. “He is very sorry for his behaviour, which lasted a few seconds,” he said.

The rugby union player has just joined Gloucester after a two-year spell at Wasps. Gloucester Rugby said Cipriani “will receive our full support as we focus on the exciting season ahead”.

The club’s chief executive, Stephen Vaughan, said: “We are very proud of the culture we have within the group and the stated values which we strive to deliver against. Incidents of this nature are very disappointing to be associated with, and we will deal with it in a robust but balanced way but based purely on the facts.”

Cipriani is one of England’s best-known rugby players, having made an eye-catching international debut as a 20-year-old in 2008. He has gone on to gain 16 international caps but concerns over his behaviour have tarnished a promising career.

Recently, he fought his way back into contention in the England setup. However, the incident raises questions over Cipriani’s future after he made his first England start for a decade on the summer tour of South Africa in June.

Cipriani was convicted of drink-driving in 2015 after he crashed his black Mercedes into a London taxi. As a result, he was ordered to pay £7,620 in fines and costs, and was banned from driving for 18 months.