Welsh female rugby captain, 18, is cleared of racially aggravated assault after she was accused of abusing teammate in brawl that erupted after game when she refused to take a knee for Black Lives Matter
- Bryonie King was accused of punching her friend Jasmine Rampton in March ’21
- The 18-year-old was alleged to have called the player the N-word in the row
- The argument took place after she refused to take the knee prior to a match
- Giving evidence, Ms King said she refused to kneel because ‘all lives matter’
- She was today cleared of racially aggravated assault at Gloucester Crown Court
A female rugby player was today cleared of racially abusing and hitting a friend when they fell out over taking the knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Bryonie King, 18, was accused of calling Jasmine Rampton the N-word and leaving her in a ‘crumpled heap’ after punching her.
Both teenagers were students at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire, where top international rugby stars Jonny May, Ellis Genge and Louis Rees-Zammit studied.
Miss Rampton, 18, claimed King used extreme racist language after she challenged her for not taking the knee before a game.
She told a jury she was punched seven or eight times by King, the current captain of the Welsh Women’s Rugby League team.
But King, who was 17 at the time of the incident, said she acted in self defence after being confronted by Miss Rampton on March 15 last year.
Bryonie King, 18, was accused of calling Jasmine Rampton the N-word and leaving her in a ‘crumpled heap’ after punching her
King (left) was called into the Welsh Rugby Union squad at the age of 15 and played for the Wales senior team as an emerging talent with Cardiff Blues Ladies team
Miss Rampton, 18 (pictured), claimed King used extreme racist language after she challenged her for not taking the knee before a game
She said: ‘I was asked why I hadn’t taken the knee and I reiterated that all lives matter. She told me I should educate myself.
‘She began to raise her voice and became angry with me.
‘I feel that taking the knee has gone on for too long but people were still doing it for their own reasons.
‘It appears that Miss Rampton did not agree with this. Things came to a stalemate when she swore at me to leave her room.
‘I then began making my own way back to my room and as I reached the door I got pushed from behind by Miss Rampton.
‘It was a hard shove. I stumbled and, in the process, I threw out my arm. At the time I wasn’t aware that I had struck Ms Rampton in the face.’
Photographs of a ‘cluster’ of injuries to Miss Rampton’s face, including a black eye, were shown to the court.
King, of Mountain Ash, South Wales, accepted making physical contact with her friend, but denied doing it intentionally or using any derogatory words.
Edward Mitchard, defending, told the court: ‘It was a common assault and the injuries were mercifully small.
‘Miss King used reasonable force based on the perceived threat she was under at the time.’
A jury at Gloucester Crown Court took 45 minutes to find the defendant (pictured) not guilty of racially aggravated assault by beating
Giving evidence yesterday Jasmine Rampton (pictured here in rugby gear) said Ms King called her the N-word after hitting her
The trial concluded today at Gloucester Crown Court (pictured)
Before retiring the jury heard testimonials to King’s character including the fact she was captain of an international team containing players twice her age.
She was appointed captain ‘in the full knowledge’ that there were legal proceedings pending against her.
A jury at Gloucester Crown Court took 45 minutes to find her not guilty of racially aggravated assault by beating.
King was called into the Welsh Rugby Union squad at the age of 15 and played for the Wales senior team as an emerging talent with Cardiff Blues Ladies team.
She had previously played for Cardiff Quins and Abercynon RFC before attending Hartpury College, a breeding ground for top male and female rugby players.
Giving evidence earlier in the trial, Miss Rampton said of the incident: ‘She told me to go and cry a river. I went to move her arm so I could grab the door handle. I used just enough force to move her wrist. She then punched me in the face and she told me that if I touched her again she would do more than hit me.
‘I fell to the floor and she continued punching me in the face, I believe seven or eight times. I pulled my arms into my face to protect myself. She called me all sorts of racial names including the N-word.’
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