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Welsh football manager sentenced for punching linesman in shocking match footage

A Welsh football club manager has been given a suspended prison sentence after punching an assistant referee during a match.

Amlwch Town FC's then manager, Robert Williams-Jones, was filmed assaulting his victim during Penrhyndeudraeth FC's 8-0 win at Amlwch on Anglesey last April.

Williams-Jones pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm during the North Wales Coast West Premier League match in a hearing at Caernarfon Magistrates Court on Monday. The 43-year-old, of Llaneilian, near Amlwch, was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months.

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The defendant was also ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,000 in compensation.

After the match, a statement was posted on the Penrhyndeudraeth FC Facebook page.: "A fantastic result and performance from the lads today. Unfortunately, the game was marred by an incident which occurred approximately 15 minutes into the game when a Penrhyn player, acting as a voluntary linesman, was assaulted."

Amlwch Town FC confirmed it had cut ties with Williams-Jones, apologising to both Penrhyndeudraeth and the linesman. The club said in a statement at the time: "As a club we have been truly saddened by the events on the weekend."

Footage of the alleged assault was shared widely on X