Scots rugby fan fined for foul-mouthed drunken rant at England coach Eddie Jones in Manchester
Dale Cleeton, 25, tried to take a selfie with the sportsman at a Manchester rail station, then began insulting him
A BOOZED-UP Scottish rugby fan was hauled before a court and ordered to cough up hundreds of pounds after he taunted England coach Eddie Jones and branded him a “baldy c***’.
Dale Cleeton, 25, targeted 58-year-old Jones after England were beaten by Scotland 25-13 in the last Calcutta Cup in February.
Their paths crossed when Cleeton tried to take a drunken selfie with the sportsman at Manchester’s Oxford Road train station.
Cleeton, of Edinburgh, and three other men began jostling Jones and making lewd comments towards him as he left the station.
But police were called in after footage of the incident went viral on social media - and Jones later said he no longer felt safe using public transport.
Cleeton’s three accomplices - Richie Cleeton, 22, Connor Inglis, 25, and Brett Grant, 23 - all previously pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour towards Mr Jones at an earlier hearing, as they were on the same train service.
At Manchester Magistrates’ Court, builder Cleeton failed to attend due to financial reasons and changed his plea from not guilty to guilty.
Prosecutor Nick Smart said: “The England rugby manager Mr Eddie Jones was travelling from Edinburgh to Manchester Oxford Road station. A group of four males, one being this defendant, had taken that particular service.
“At Oxford Road they saw Mr Jones alight. At that stage the England Rugby Team were beaten by Scotland in the Calcutta Cup, which prompted what was to follow.
“The group approached Mr Jones and took selfies with him and used some choice language.
“The situation did deteriorate immediately with some more robust Anglo Saxon vs Celtic language, and at some stage Mr Jones was called a “baldy c***”.
“The parties were separated when Mr Jones managed to get himself pushed into a car. This was a short matter.
“The four gentleman got into the personal space of the complainant using insults towards him.
“This man was given the opportunity to give his version of events. He refused to cooperate with the police and it did not proceed to an interview, so the charge was levied against him.”
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Sentencing him, JP Mark Aspden said: “We have been considering carefully what the issues are. This case is particularly unpleasant.
“We have looked at the two primary factors, this was a group action and was short in duration.
“The sentence for Mr Cleeton will be a £54 fine. We have taken into account his means and the guilty plea on the date of trial. This is a Band A fine.
“He must also make a contribution to the prosecution costs of £150 and victim surcharge of £30. The total owed to the court is £234.”