It has been reported that Martin Aspinwall, a 29 year old rugby league football player with Castleford Tigers, was recently convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm when, in a drunken brawl, he broke another man’s jaw, hitting him so hard that in the process he dislocated his own shoulder.
Whilst awaiting sentence for this offence, and once again drunk, he led the police on a 10 mile long high-speed car chase through the streets of Wigan and surrounding towns.
For the assault he received an eight month jail sentence, suspended for two years and for dangerous driving while over the proscribed limit he was sent to jail for four months.
I’m a firm believer in the principle that once an offender has paid his or her debt to society they should be allowed to resume, and get on with their life, but…………
Those who are in the public eye, and who act as a role model for the young, have a greater responsibility than others so I view with concern the report that Aspinwall’s club coach has said he will be welcome back into the squad at the end of his sentence.
I hope that both Aspinwall and Castleford Tigers will use their undoubted influence with their young supporters to reinforce the message that such action is both despicable and unacceptable and that other young men will not look upon Aspinwall as a role model for their future behaviour.
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