Football
PA Sport 10y

West Ham defender James Tomkins fined £3,500 for police officer assault

West Ham defender James Tomkins has been fined 3,500 pounds for assaulting a police officer.

Tomkins, 25, pleaded guilty to assaulting a police constable, being drunk and disorderly in a public place, and obstructing a constable outside the Sugar Hut nightclub in Brentwood, Essex on the night of Dec. 21.

Martin Everett, chair of the bench at Southend Magistrates' Court, Essex, told him "it is a late guilty plea but it has saved the court a trial and witnesses."

#INSERT type:image caption:Tomkins could also face disciplinary action from West Ham for the incident. END#

Tomkins was also ordered to pay 3,785 pounds in court costs, 200 pounds in compensation to the police officer and a 120 pound victim surcharge. However, he was told there would be no further penalty for the other offences.

Mr Everett told Tomkins, who stood quietly in the dock during sentencing, that "this is a blot on your character," before adding that he had "no doubt" West Ham "will take their own action" to punish him.

He added: ''You were in this particular case, pushed quite hard by a member of staff but your reaction, as you have admitted, was an over-reaction.''

He told the footballer that in the police car he had dealt with the situation ''inappropriately causing an injury to the police officer."

Tomkins, a former England Under-21 international who appeared for Team GB at the Olympics in 2012, had played for West Ham hours before the incident in their 3-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Rupert Bowers, defending, had told the court that as a footballer Tomkins gets ''a lot a attention, much of it unwanted."

He said: "They receive training and receive guidance from the FA. Mr Tomkins accepts that on this occasion he let himself down.

''He has been extremely stressed about these proceedings, about his reputation and the coverage it has had.''

Mr Bowers also described him as a ''young man of previous good character [who is] usually looked up to.''

Tomkins left the court and entered a waiting car without comment.

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