England rugby international Billy Vunipola has been handed a four month suspended prison sentence following an incident at a pub in Majorca.
Vunipola, 31, had to be tasered twice after police rushed to a bar called Epic in Palma following calls from security staff, it has been claimed. Local reports said the Saracens star had taken off his shirt and was threatening customers and employees with bottles and chairs, although Vunipola has since issued a statement stressing this is not true.
Vunipola, who weighs nearly 20 stone, is said to have been unaffected by the first taser volt police used on him after clearing the bar so they could try to resolve the situation. They overpowered and handcuffed him after using a taser for the second time.
Court officials in Majorca confirmed on Monday: “English rugby player Billy Vunipola has been given a four-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of €240 for resisting the law and wounding.
“The accused man, who admitted wrongdoing at a speedy trial, must compensate the person he injured with 500. Palma’s Court of Instruction Number Eight, acting as a duty court, held the speedy trial yesterday. He pleaded guilty to the resisting the law charge and a minor crime of wounding. He was ordered to pay his fine at 12 euros a day over 20 days.
“He acknowledged he was in a late-night bar in Palma which officers attended following an altercation. The man stated he did not obey police orders and at one point when they tried to overpower him, he lunged at one of them and caused him an injury. The sentence cannot be appealed.”
Vunipola released a statement on Monday morning to explain he had been charged with "resisting the law" before issuing an apology. He said: “I can confirm I was involved in an unfortunate misunderstanding when I was leaving a club in Mallorca on Sunday, which got out of hand. Contrary to media reports, there was no violence, no fight and I did not threaten anybody at any stage, with bottles or chairs or anything else.
“I was charged with resisting the law and, following an 'express trial', I have paid a fine of 240 euros. The Spanish police investigation is now closed, and I am flying back to the UK today. I will obviously cooperate with the Saracens internal process and unreservedly apologise for any inconvenience to all involved.”
A spokesman for the National Police in Majorca, in their first formal comment on the arrest, said: “In the early hours of yesterday morning, at 4.30am, we arrested a 31-year-old foreign man on suspicion of a crime of disobedience and assaulting a police officer.
“The events took place in a leisure establishment on the seafront in Palma, when a man was causing altercations inside the establishment. The man would not listen to reason and confronted the rest of the customers, and the security staff were unable to restrain him or remove him from the premises.
“The police were alerted and the officers, on seeing the man, who was shirtless and making gestures with his hands, cleared the premises. It was then that he confronted the police and attempted to assault the officers.
“The police officers tried at all times to get him to calm down, but the man would not listen to reason. At that moment, the man pushed and slapped an officer and a policeman pulled out his electric stun gun and fired a first time although the gun didn’t discharge.
“A second projectile was then fired, which did the job, and it was then that the officers jumped on him and proceeded to immobilise him by shackling him, later taking him to Son Espases hospital for assessment and arrest.
“Yesterday afternoon he was taken to court and released on bail pending an ongoing investigation. The identification of the alleged perpetrator cannot be provided in order to preserve his privacy.”
Saracens released a statement on Monday morning in response to Vunipola's arrest. The statement read: “Saracens is aware of an incident involving Billy Vunipola in Majorca.
“We will of course deal with this incident internally, and will not make any further comment until then.”