Rugby love triangle led to punch-up in the dressing room, court told

Accused: physio David Gwilliam

Alex Lentati

Tristan Kirk, Courts Correspondent @kirkkorner25 April 2018

A physio in a love triangle with a rugby clubmate broke his rival’s eye socket in a dressing room bust-up, a court heard.

David Gwilliam, 30, fell out with Medway rugby club player Johnathan Rumsey after starting a relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Lucy Hawkins, it is said.

In the changing room before an away match in Bexleyheath, Mr Rumsey asked Gwilliam, the club physiotherapist, to strap up his injured elbow.

“There seems to have been some bad feeling between the two men,” said Helen McCormack, prosecuting, at Inner London crown court. “Mr Gwilliam was going out with a woman Mr Rumsey had previously had a relationship with.”

She told jurors Gwilliam refused to help him, claiming it would be “not ethical”, and then grew angry when Mr Rumsey took his medical bag so a team mate could strap him up.

“Punched”: John Rumsey was allegedly assaulted in a changing-room

“David attempted to grab the bag back out of my hand,” said Mr Rumsey, giving evidence. “He pushed me in the back so I put the bag down on the bench.” The court heard Mr Rumsey turned to Gwilliam and told him: “Touch me again and I’ll drop you.”

Mr Rumsey said: “Two players put themselves between us. The next thing was getting punched by David Gwilliam. The punch came over the top [of another player] and hit me to the left side of my face.

“I didn’t see the punch coming so obviously it knocked me back a little.”

The court heard that Mr Rumsey, a former soldier with the Parachute Regiment, was left with blood streaming from his eye and nose following the incident, on March 5, 2016. He still wanted to play, but the referee did not let him. Eventually he was told to go to hospital, where he was found to have a broken eye socket and cheekbone, and a nose injury.

Mr Rumsey added that before he went to hospital, Gwilliam came into the changing room and apologised, saying: “Sorry, I didn’t mean to react like that.”

The court heard Mr Rumsey was awaiting sentence at the time of the alleged assault for harassing Ms Hawkins.

Gwilliam claims he was acting in self-defence. He denies inflicting grievous bodily harm. The trial continues.