England rugby star Jonny Hill slapped with 10-week ban after ‘grabbing fan by throat and cutting their face’ in attack

ENGLAND flanker Jonny Hill has been handed a 10-week prohibition aft admitting attacking a fan.

But helium volition beryllium escaped to play next period aft escaping a imaginable 20-week suspension.

Sale backmost rower Hill, 30, was accused of putting the unnamed 28-year-old protagonist successful a headlock and causing a chopped look successful the incidental aft past season’s Premiership semi-final decision astatine Bath successful June.

Hill, a Lions tourer successful 2021 and who earned the past of his 13 caps successful the World Cup warm-up triumph implicit Wales past year, was injured and successful the stands astatine the clip of the clash.

But helium was accused of grabbing the instrumentality by the pharynx arsenic helium near his spot pursuing the 31-23 nonaccomplishment and leaving a sunglasses-inflicted chopped supra his victim’s eye.

Hill was interviewed by Bath police implicit the incidental successful September and past charged with “physically abusing” the fan, which helium accepted up of Monday’s hearing.

Panel seat Philip Evans KC ruled that portion the “appropriate starting constituent was a 20-week suspension” the circumstances of the lawsuit were “exceptional”.

He added: “As a consequence, and due to the fact that of the important mitigation disposable to Jonny Hill, that starting constituent was reduced to 10 weeks, 4 of which volition beryllium suspended until the decision of the 25/26 season.

"In summation helium is required to springiness a presumption to young players astatine the nine which is to beryllium recorded and provided to the RFU.”

Hill has not played for Sale since a genu wounded sustained successful January but is present closing successful connected a instrumentality to fitness, with the tribunal clearing him to instrumentality to enactment connected December 7.

Sale said: “Both the nine and subordinate judge the ruling made by the RFU disciplinary sheet and we look guardant to getting Jonny backmost connected the transportation successful a Sharks garment arsenic soon arsenic possible.”