Bridlington RUFC president banned for three years for undoing female employee’s bra

The president of Bridlington RUFC has been banned for three years after he was charged with “repeatedly pulling a female employee’s bra, causing it to become undone in front of other members of the club” at a fundraising event.

Neil Arton was found guilty of conduct prejudicial to the game by an independent panel at a Rugby Football Union disciplinary hearing in July. The panel banned Arton from “attending or being a member of any RFU-affiliated rugby club” for three years, one suspended, and ordered him to pay £125 in costs.

Related: ‘A line in the sand moment’: Premiership’s troubles laid bare by report | Robert Kitson

The incident took place in July 2023 but a subsequent police investigation – which resulted in no criminal charges being brought – delayed the RFU in taking action. The victim, who is referred to throughout the written judgment as X, said that at a “Party in the Park” fundraising event, “throughout the day Arton would regularly approach her and try to undo her bra strap with one hand”. X added that Arton said “he had always been good at managing to do so”. The judgment says that X asked Arton to stop and questioned his behaviour.

On one occasion Arton managed to undo X’s bra strap “leaving her breasts unsupported”. X also said that Arton “appeared to find this amusing” and sought to avoid him. She considered the incident to be “absolutely inappropriate” and to constitute an “assault”. X also said that “at a relatively early stage of the day she overheard Arton refer to the girth of his penis, in an apparent attempt at humour”.

Arton denied sexual assault and, according to the written judgment, “said the only physical contact between himself, and X arose in the context of some jocularity when she pushed him, and he pushed her back”. After also hearing witness testimony, the panel decreed that Arton’s behaviour was “very serious” on the grounds it was “persistent, deliberate, designed to humiliate, grossly invaded X’s personal space and dignity, bore a sexual connotation and carried a significant power imbalance [given] Arton was a director of the club”. The panel also noted that Arton exhibited zero remorse.

The panel also heard that Arton had provided a significant contribution to Bridlington RUFC and that he had abuse shouted at him from “all over the town”. A subsequent appeal by Arton against the decision was quashed. The panel said: “He is acutely conscious of this fall from grace, albeit it is entirely of his own making. Sadly, Arton ignored the advice and efforts of others connected with the club who suggested he alter his behaviour […] Arton’s conduct during the hearing does not encourage the panel to have much by way of hope that he has learned any lessons thus far, or that he is receptive to doing so in the future.

“Invading someone’s personal space in the way that we find Mr Arton did, and touching X in the manner that he did and in the face of her repeated objections, is wholly inappropriate and wrong. That is so in any context, not just in the context of a rugby club where people are entitled to expect that they will be treated with dignity and respect. If there ever was a time when such behaviour might be tolerated it is now long gone and Mr Arton needs to realise that.”

A separate allegation against Arton which he denied – that he “attempted to grab a female club member inappropriately” – was not upheld by the panel.