Bathurst Panthers Group 10 rugby league premiership lock Josh Bateup will never be allowed to set foot on a rugby league field again, nor play any part in the sport full-stop after being handed down the heaviest sentence possible for an alleged assault last season.
Bateup appeared before the Group 10 judiciary pertaining to an incident on July 18, 2008 where he was believed to have verbally abused match official Nick McGrath following the third local derby against St Pat's at Carrington Park.
St Pat's won the match 39-30 — and went on to win the premiership — but Bateup did not take kindly to the result, approaching McGrath and using offensive language as he spoke to him after the match.
But worse was to come.
According to judiciary chairman Glenn Boatswain, Bateup then approached McGrath some eight hours later at a local hotel, proceeded to physically assault him and left him with some degree of injury.
At the hearing on Monday, Bateup pleaded guilty to both charges of 'unsportsmanlike behaviour, foul or illegal play, acts of violence, both on and off the field' relating to both the verbal and physical altercations.
Under the National Rugby League Code of Conduct, Bateup was charged breaching the directive that a player should 'never engage in disrespectful conduct of any sort including profanity, sledging, obscene gestures, offensive remarks, trash talking, taunting or other actions that are demeaning to other players, officials or supporters, recognise that many officials, coaches and referees are volunteers who give up their time to provide their services and treat them with the utmost respect’.
"It was alleged that Josh had caused a disturbance at the match between St Pat's and Panthers, it was alleged that he had confronted the referee with offensive language at the end of the first grade game," Boatswain said.
"He then confronted the referee at 1.30 am — some eight hours later — at a local hotel and physically assaulted him.
“Our position last night, although we don't have anything to do with civil assault matters, was that we decided it was a rugby league-related matter and he was charged accordingly.
"Josh pleaded guilty to both charges."
It was also apparent that Bateup — who was a spectator rather than a player that day because of injury — had consumed a large quantity of alcohol throughout the day in question.
Boatswain was in no doubt as to the seriousness of the allegations, and after the guilty plea there was little he and the three-member panel could do other than invoke the most severe penalty possible.
"A physical assault of a referee, which has actually caused physical damage is probably the most serious thing that a player can do," he said.
"With that in mind and his existing record, we have no tolerance for persons who behave in that way so we handed down a life-time suspension from rugby league, from attending rugby league matches and from being involved in the code whatsoever.
"You can't have players running around doing this sort of thing to officials who volunteer their own time.
“Group 10 will not tolerate that sort of behaviour — I can't condone hitting a referee in any situation but maybe if it was in the heat of the moment during a game, there would be some defence but eight hours later is just ridiculous."
Bateup, who played in Panthers' back-to-back premiership sides in 2006 and 2007, now has the right of appeal through a higher judiciary, but Boatswain believes that it will make little difference given that he has already admitted his guilt.
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