A Carlisle man who took part in a bloodied bare-knuckle fight despite being banned by a court from having any contact with his rival has narrowly escaped being jailed.
Daniel Shannon Christie, 32, found himself in hot water during 2019 amid a simmering row with fighter-turned-actor Derek Decca Heggie. Following a foul-mouthed online tirade, Christie was punished by a judge for an intimidation offence and slapped with a five-year restraining order.
This banned him both from having any contact with Mr Heggie and not to post anything on social media which referred to him. But Carlisle Crown Court heard today how Christie flouted that order on four separate dates in November last year.
In a first online video directed at Mr Heggie, Christie responded to an apparent bout request from his rival by saying the “fight was off” due to the court restriction; but then stated: “Come looking for me and I’ll split your wig there and then.”
A second breach occurred by the posting of a YouTube video showing the men involved in a brutal bare-knuckle fight on November 12. This, said prosecutor Brendan Burke, involved extreme violence, the presence of two referees and a boxing ring.
Christie discussed that fight in a third YouTube video, saying beef over and, said Mr Burke, expressing satisfaction from his point of view that the fight took place.
The fourth breach occurred after Mr Heggie posted a video, inviting a second round and also criticising Christie, who then responded.
“Saying at that fight he had broken Mr Heggie’s face but then says he spared him; the final humiliation,” Mr Burke explained. Christie also accused Mr Heggie of “making money out of me”.
The court heard on Mr Heggie’s YouTube channel alone, there had been 200,000 hits for the two men’s brutal violence.
Christie, of Sewell Road, Carlisle, admitted flouting the restraining order. His barrister, Russell Davies, said Mr Heggie — not a witness in the case — had indeed profited and that in a podcast “this fight was being referred to as recently as two days ago”.
“Mr Heggie is receiving income. He is making money from it,” said Mr Davies. “My defendant is not making — and has not made — one penny piece.”
He spoke of an unusual criminal case, saying: “There is no other that I have been able to find where the victim, who was the beneficiary of the restraining order, is actively encouraging, even goading, the breach of the restraining order which was originally imposed by the court to protect him.”
“Whatever mistakes he has made,” added Mr Davies of Christie, “they won’t be made by him again.“
Judge Nicholas Barker, after reading a psychiatric background report and hearing Christie was addressing alcohol and drug misuse, took what he called an “exceptional” course and suspended a 12-month jail term for two years.
“The breach on November 12 resulted in a fight I have seen on that YouTube channel which is unpleasant and offensive to all right-thinking people,” said the judge. “Two men are involved in what can only can only be described as a slug-fest, seeking to batter the brains out of each other.”
Both men had been “covered in blood from head to toe” in their respective bids to beat each other into “senseless submission”, observed the judge.
He ordered Christie to complete 40 days’ rehabilitation to address his offending tendencies and challenges; and a four-month night time curfew.
“If this man (Mr Heggie) comes knocking on your door — metaphorically — you only have one court open to you. That is to report it to the police immediately,” the judge told Christie before he left court.
