Soccer hard man Jones guilty of air rage assault

SOCCER hard man turned actor Vinnie Jones was ordered to do 80 hours of community service yesterday after admitting air rage charges.

The former footballer was also ordered to pay £300 compensation to Stephen Driscoll, the passenger he admitted assaulting on board a flight from London to Tokyo on May 31.

Jones was fined another £500 for an offence of using threatening words or behaviour towards the cabin crew and was ordered to pay £300 in costs.

A statement read out on Jones's behalf: "Vinnie Jones has received 80 hours community punishment and paid around £1,000 in fines.

"He regrets the incident deeply and pleaded guilty to both counts.

"He will complete the punishment with grace and thanks the court and the probation service."

Earlier in the hearing at Uxbridge Magistrates Court, the former footballer, from Tring, Hertfordshire, admitted an offence of common assault on a male passenger and using threatening words or behaviour against members of the cabin crew.

He became angry after Mr Driscoll told him he was being annoying, inciting the actor to launch a tirade of insults and threats. One passenger alleged that Jones slapped Mr Driscoll 10 times.

Jones, once British football's self-styled "hardest man in the game", has a well-earned reputation for his own special brand of bad behaviour on and off the pitch.

Most notoriously, he was caught on camera squeezing Paul Gascoigne's testicles during a match.

Another infamous incident came on the night of the abandoned international match between England and Ireland in Dublin in February 1995.

Jones sank his teeth into the nose of journalist Ted Oliver a few hours after the game was abandoned when England fans rioted at Lansdowne Road, leaving the reporter's face bloodied and getting himself reported to the FA.

He explained to the shocked newspaperman: "I only do that to people I like."

In 1998 he was sentenced to 100 hours community service after being convicted of a vicious assault on his neighbour.

Jones, who is married to his childhood sweetheart Tanya, was a relative late-starter in professional football when his career kicked off in 1986.

Aged 21, he gave up his job as a hod carrier and signed for Wimbledon from non-league Wealdstone Town, earning just £150 a week. Jones became the unofficial leader of Wimbledon's "Crazy Gang", who famously geared themselves up for matches by playing heavy metal music.

He was sent off 12 times during his career. He was fined a record £20,000 for his commentary in a video glorifying football violence and dirty tricks. He was also given a six-month ban, suspended for three years.

In 1999 he retired for an acting career and starred in Guy Ritchie's Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. He later starred in the car caper Gone in 60 Seconds, and Swordfish alongside Halle Berry and John Travolta.

Earlier this year Jones, 38, was accused of assault on a man in South Africa. He was also accused by three women of assault at a party in Cape Town. Prosecutors dropped the case when the allegations were withdrawn.