NRL star avoids jail for drunken rampage in Canberra

Raiders star Jack Wighton has avoided jail for a drunken rampage where he attacked five innocent victims — including headbutting two men. For the first time The Daily Telegraph can show confronting CCTV of the attacks. WATCH THE FOOTAGE.

Canberra Raiders star Jack Wighton has avoided jail for a shocking drunken rampage where he attacked five innocent victims — including headbutting two of them — and urinated in public.

The 25-year-old fullback was instead given a two-month suspended sentence, placed on a 12-month good behaviour order and fined $3500 at a specialised Aboriginal court in the ACT on Wednesday.

Jack Wighton avoided jail for his drunken rampage. Picture: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

Confronting CCTV shows how the intoxicated father-of-two — described as looking like a “mad man” by one victim — carried out three separate “unprovoked” attacks in the early hours of February 3 while he was out celebrating his birthday in Canberra’s CBD.

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One of the worst occurred on a group of three friends who saw Wighton kneel down and urinate onto a metal bollard before calling out and pointing to a wet patch on his knee.

Wighton then went up to the first man and said “is there a problem?” before punching him in the torso and headbutting him in the face, agreed facts state.

Raiders star Jack Wighton headbutted two men

Despite the first man telling him “we’re not looking for a fight” Wighton later punched him so hard to his head it snapped backwards.

The first man’s friend was also punched so forcefully his head hit the glass window of a shop front. Prosecutor Katie McCann said the CCTV spoke for itself and it was plain Wighton was the aggressor.

In CCTV captured just 10 minutes earlier another victim appears to just want to shake the 25-year-old’s hand before he gets punched in the face and chest.

One of Wighton’s victims wrote to the court he would “never” forget what happened that night and he worries about how he could have died.

Dressed in a black suit, Wighton said he wished he could take back the night.

“Everywhere I go now I’m not known for being a nice guy or a good footy player. Everyone is riding me about this whole situation,” he told a panel of Aboriginal Elders at The Galambany Court.

Jack Wighton avoided jail for the drunken rampage.

Wighton said he was “truly sorry” for the attack.

It is a specialised court for Aboriginal offenders, within the ACT Magistrates Court.

“I like to drink, I don’t know if it’s a problem. I was out for a good time that night and had way too much and I mucked up,” he told the panel when they asked whether he had a problem with alcohol.

Outside court, Wighton said he wanted to apologise to the victims “for any pain I may have caused them”.

“There are no excuses for my behaviour. I want to let them to know I am truly sorry for what happened that night.”

Barrister Jason Moffett told the court it was “exceptional” a Koori male was only appearing in the Galambany Court for the first time at age 25 and his client, who was remorseful, had a bright future ahead of him and good rehabilitation prospects.

In handing down her sentence Magistrate Bernadette Boss said “A single blow to the head can kill”.

Wighton was given a two-month suspended sentence, placed on a 12-month good behaviour order.

“The community is to be protected from this type of behaviour,” she said.

During the court proceedings, Elder, Allan Sambono, said to Wighton: “You need to always keep your head high”.

“As a strong man that is what you need to do. Don’t take no notice (of the) sledging … keep playing your game whatever that game is be it rugby, a father, a young man in the community you just keep your eye on the prize.”

Wighton pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, three of common assault and one of public urination in June. He had initially told police he couldn’t remember anything from the night and he had woken up with “a shiner”.

Earlier this year the NRL Integrity Unit banned Wighton for 10 matches and fined him $30,000.

NRL CEO Todd Greenberg described Wighton’s actions as “disgraceful”. Picture: Richard Dobson

NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg labelled Jack Wighton’s behaviour as “disgraceful.”

Wighton is however free to resume his NRL playing career next season.

“It was disgraceful — no other word for it,” Greenberg said.

“I saw that vision four or five months ago which is why I made the decision I did at the time. It’s very rare we come in over the top of a club on a disciplinary matter but we did on this occasion and I am satisfied we made the right decision.

“There will be no further sanctions. If you look at the sanctions, he received a fine from the game which was effectively ten times what he got in the court of law.

“And he didn’t play again in the entire 2018 season. I think his punishment is served.”

Asked should Canberra impose further sanctions on Wighton, Greenberg said: “That’s a question for the club.”

Wighton has not played since his suspension started in round 15 this year. He can now be selected for Canberra’s round one away match to Gold Coast next season.