Footballer Kyle Dempsey has admitted to a court he was embarrassed and might have jeopardised his career after he completely lost it and attacked a social club doorman who was left bleeding and injured.
Former Carlisle United midfielder Dempsey, a recent Wembley winner with his current League 1 club Bolton Wanderers, admits carrying out a joint assault on Darryl Jarvis at Maryport Labour Club with his dad, ex-rugby league professional Michael Shane Dempsey.
Their violence, on July 16 last year, came just hours after Kyle Dempsey, 27, had played for Bolton at Carlisle’s Brunton Park in a summer friendly fixture, watched by his 50-year-old dad and family members.
Kyle Dempsey, of Blackpool, and Michael Dempsey, of Whitecroft, Maryport, admit assaulting Mr Jarvis, causing actual bodily harm, having forced their way into the club they had previously been prevented from entering.
Michael Dempsey also admits damaging a door. But the prosecution dispute their claims that they merely went “overboard” and acted in excessive self-defence during an incident graphically captured on CCTV.
Evidence is being given at Carlisle Crown Court in front of a judge who will rule on their level of blame before passing sentence.
Trouble flared after members of the Dempsey family returned to Maryport after the football.
It emerged today that Kyle had been briefly knocked unconscious in the street by a man who, the court heard, had caused previous trouble for them. That man was seen heading towards the labour club at around 10.30pm with father and son then following in a bid to speak with him.
Mr Jarvis told the court he pulled Kyle Dempsey outside after he arrived at the club as part of a swarm of people. Michael then threw a punch, he said, which connected with his face and the bouncer then recalled feeling “multiple strikes to my body and face and head” as he was bent double and being kept down. Kyle was directly in front of him at that stage and Michael to his left.
Mr Jarvis broke free, reported the incident to club management and, on advice, bolted the front doors shut with the others locked outside. But while receiving medical attention the door burst open and Michael “charged at me, aggressively”.
Mr Jarvis said he then took hold of Kyle Dempsey’s collar, denying a claim by a defence barrister that he grabbed the footballer by the throat. “I got pulled down again,” he told the court. “After a series of blows I felt an immediate strike to the left side of my head. I felt warm liquid and then realised I was bleeding.” He added: “There were a lot of females screaming, ‘get off him’.”
Mr Jarvis, who denied using anything other than restraint techniques himself, said he suffered a broken nose, chipped teeth, bruised ribs, heavy bleeding and a substantial cut to his head.
Self-employed bricklayer Michael told the court of being initially punched and taunted by Mr Jarvis — both denied by the bouncer — before he broke through the locked club doors.
Having seen his son knocked unconscious and then comment that he didn’t want to come back to his home town due to ongoing aggravation, he admitted the assault that followed.
He saw Kyle being grabbed by Mr Jarvis and feared he would also be assaulted. “I’m thinking if he hits him (Kyle) in the same way he has hit me, he may cause serious damage to him and may finish his career.
“As a parent you just want to protect your son and your family,” said Michael Dempsey. “I am embarrassed by our actions, how we got to be in that position that night, by just going out for a family day.”
Kyle told the court he saw his dad’s nose explode following the alleged punch by the doorman. During the second incident, he spoke of wriggling past a female bouncer and being grabbed by the throat.
CCTV captured him getting free and then throwing punches and appearing to knee Mr Jarvis several times. “I just felt the need to defend myself against the guy because of what he was capable of doing to me. After that I am embarrassed by my actions.”
Dempsey has been warned previously by a judge that he could receive a prison sentence.
Describing the impact of the incident, he said: “I know with the position I’ve got myself in now, it could be huge for me, potentially ruin my career; 27 years of building the football career I’ve had — to throw it all away with one misjudgement on one night would just absolutely break my heart, and ruin my relationship with family members and things like that.”
He admitted drinking three or four pints before the incident. Directing him to the damning CCTV footage, prosecutor Gerard Rogerson said: “You’ve completely lost it there, haven’t you?”
Dempsey replied: “Yeah.”
Judge Ian Unsworth KC is due to announce his ruling tomorrow when the two defendants will then be sentenced.
