A father has been handed an 18-week touchline ban after verbally abusing a young female rugby player whom he falsely accused of being transgender.
Graham Hall, 45, confronted the girl during an under-12s match between Rosslyn Park and Cobham RFC in Surrey after she tackled his daughter.
The incident, which occurred on January 26 at Covenham Grounds, saw Hall enter the field of play and scream at the young Cobham player, calling her a "boy" and claiming she shouldn't be playing in a girls' team.
A disciplinary panel described Hall's conduct as "disgraceful" and rejected his account of events, stating his view was based on "wholly unsubstantiated rumour and conjecture".
A father "screamed and shouted" at the girl, saying "you're a f*****g boy"
PA
According to witness Dave Stewart, Hall "screamed and shouted" at the girl, saying "you're a f*****g boy and shouldn't be playing in a girls side... you are clearly not a girl and look what you've done".
After the girl left the field in tears, her father approached Hall to confront him about his behaviour.
Hall reaffirmed his belief that the player was a boy and shouldn't be in a girls team.
The two parents then squared up to each other before being pulled apart by others present.
Hall later disputed the lawfulness of the tackle and denied swearing at the girl, though he admitted swearing at her father.
He also acknowledged he should not have entered the field of play.
In her statement, the young player described "unfortunately falling on the opposition player after a tackle" who then screamed.
She said Hall shouted in her face "that was f*****g unnecessary, why would you do that?" and "kept on saying I was a boy".
The girl left the field feeling "scared and panicked" and struggling to breathe.
Despite this distressing experience, she was praised for returning to the match and even apologised to Hall's daughter.
Hall's daughter, who suffered a serious injury, graciously told the girl "it's OK, it wasn't your fault".
The Cobham player later said: "I love playing rugby for the Cobham team and we have got really good team spirit and look after each other through every moment."
Hall claimed he had heard rumours before the match that Cobham were fielding a boy in their girls team.
Rosslyn Park had even asked Cobham if they were fielding any boys, which Cobham denied.
The disciplinary panel unanimously found Hall guilty of verbal abuse under Rule 5.12 – conduct prejudicial to the interests of the union and the game.
His ban was reduced from 24 to 18 weeks due to his "acceptance of some misconduct and previous good disciplinary record".
The sanction covers both training and matches, including any clubhouse perimeter or balcony near a rugby pitch.
Hall was also ordered to pay costs of £125 and has until April 8 to lodge an appeal.
