Former Nuneaton Town football boss charged with assault

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Former chief executive of Nuneaton Town FC Ian Neale is to face assault charges after he was arrested at a charity ball in Coventry.



Neale was arrested following an incident at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry in the early hours of Saturday September 27

Police said today that he faces three charges.

It is alleged that the 48-year-old, of Wolvey, and another man were involved in an altercation at the NSPCC’s annual charity ball.

Neale was yesterday charged with actual bodily harm and two counts of assault and is due to appear at Coventry Magistrates’ Court on Friday October 31.

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Former Nuneaton Town boss Ian Neale is facing jail after being found guilty of assaulting three people at a charity ball in Coventry.

The 48-year-old had denied all three charges but was found guilty of the attacks at Coventry Magistrates Court this afternoon following a two-day trial.

Neale, of Redruth Close, Nuneaton, launched a “deliberate and unprovoked attack” on David Allen at the NSPCC charity gala at the Ricoh Arena on September 26 last year.

As well as initially assaulting Mr Allen, the former chairman and chief executive at Nuneaton Town was also found guilty of assaulting two security guards, Khalid Miah and Jacqueline Richards, who tried to intervene.

Neale will be sentenced on February 18 and has been released on conditional bail while pre-sentencing reports are prepared.

Presiding magistrate Roger Pulley told Neale that “all sentencing options” were open, including a prison sentence.

He said: “We considered all of the circumstances and evidence of the last two days and found that the Crown Prosecution Service’s witnesses - the so-called independent witnesses - were clear and credible.

“We found the defendant’s account unconvincing and the three defence witnesses did not cover the material issues.

“We are satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant was the aggressor and committed an initial assault on Mr Allen and then proceeded to headbutt him - an act that we have found not to be in self-defence.

“As for Khalid Miah and Jacqueline Richards; we have already said their evidence was convincing, although we say that the assault on Jacqueline Richards was reckless.”

During the trial, Rob Perry, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “This was a ball for a children’s charity but the only person behaving like a child that night was Mr Neale.”

Neale was said to have been “drunk and lost all control” at the fundraiser and set upon Mr Allen, who was finance director at the football club back in 2012 before leaving after a disagreement with Neale.

After raining punches down on Mr Allen in the Eon Lounge at the Ricoh Arena shortly after midnight, Neale also managed to escape the grasp of security guards who had broken up the skirmish before going after his victim again and headbutting him.

Prosecutors also proved that Neale had assaulted Khalid Miah and Jacqueline Richards - who were working as security at the event - with Mr Miah being punched twice in the face and Miss Richards suffering a hand injury.

Summing up before the magistrates made their decision, prosecutor Mr Perry said: “The crux of this matter comes from the people who don’t have an axe to grind.

“The security guards were there doing their job and the described what they saw happen. It was a completely unprovoked attack that left David Allen in hospital.

“Ian Neale was the aggressor - he was drunk and lost all control.”

James McLernon, defending, had claimed that Neale had acted in self-defence and that it was in fact Mr Allen who had instigated the fight, but magistrates rejected this.

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Ex-Nuneaton Town chairman spared jail for NSPCC charity ball assaults



Former football chairman and prominent businessman Ian Neale has been given a suspended sentence after assaulting three people at a charity ball.

The ex-chairman of Nuneaton Town FC and former associate director of Coventry City FC was sentenced at Coventry Magistrates Court this morning.

He was given a 26 week custodial sentence suspended for 12 months and was ordered to do 300 hours of unpaid work and pay £900 compensation.

He was also ordered to pay £1500 court costs and £80 victim surcharge.

Magistrates heard he punched and headbutted a former colleague at the NSPCC charity ball at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry - and then assaulted two security guards who tried to intervene.

The 48-year-old construction boss was found guilty last month of a “deliberate and unprovoked attack” on David Allen at the charity gala, which was held at on September 26 last year.

This morning magistrates read a pre-sentence report before retiring to decide what his punishment should be.

James McLernon, for Neale, pleaded with the bench to suspend any custodial sentence they might be considering.

He said Neale "accepts he has done wrong" and realises he could face a custodial sentence.

He listed people who would be affected if Neale goes to prison: his partner, his children and his 25 employees.

Mr McLernon said that if magistrates were to look at unpaid work that would be a "sacrifice" Neale would have to make.

He described it as a"one-off" offence that will "not be repeated" by Neale and added it was "a terrible mistake that he must pay for" .

Neale, of Redruth Close, Nuneaton, had denied all three charges but was found guilty of the attacks on Mr Allen, who was finance director at the football club back in 2012, at Coventry Magistrates Court following a two-day trial.

He was also found guilty of assaulting two security guards, Khalid Miah and Jacqueline Richards, who tried to intervene.

Neale had been told by presiding magistrate at the trial, Roger Pulley, that “all sentencing options” were open to the court, including a prison sentence.