Neil Arton, president of Bridlington RUFC, has been banned from rugby for three years after repeatedly undoing a female employee’s bra at a fundraising event.
The incident, which occurred in July 2023, led to a Rugby Football Union (RFU) disciplinary hearing where Arton was found guilty of conduct prejudicial to the game.
The RFU panel described Arton’s behaviour as “very serious” and “reprehensible”.
He has been prohibited from attending or being a member of any RFU affiliated rugby club for three years, with one year suspended.
The victim, referred to as X in the written judgment, reported that Arton repeatedly attempted to undo her bra strap throughout the day, despite her objections.
On one occasion, he succeeded, leaving her “breasts unsupported”.
A witness at the event reported seeing Arton “‘twang’ X’s bra strap on two occasions”.
The witness intervened, telling X she should not “put up with it”.
Arton’s behaviour extended beyond physical actions. X overheard him “refer to the girth of his penis, in an apparent attempt at humour” early in the day.
When confronted about his actions, Arton dismissed them as “just banter” and claimed he was only “having a laugh”.
The incident has caused significant distress to the victim. X stated it had “impacted adversely on her attitude towards engaging with the club and participating in club activities”.
The case has reportedly caused a “schism within the Bridlington RUFC community”, highlighting the broader impact of Arton’s actions.
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Neil Arton has been banned from rugby for three years
PA
The RFU panel found Arton’s behaviour to be “persistent, deliberate, designed to humiliate, grossly invaded X’s personal space and dignity, bore a sexual connotation, carried a significant power imbalance”.
They noted that Arton ignored pleas to stop and exhibited zero remorse.
The panel stated: “Arton’s actions were wrong and wholly unacceptable in any circumstances, but in the context of his position in the club, and in the context of his duty to uphold and promote the values and ethos of the game, and inclusivity in sport as a whole, what he did is properly to be regarded as particularly reprehensible.”
Arton was ordered to pay £125 in costs. The panel added: “If there ever was a time when such behaviour might be tolerated, it is now long gone and Arton needs to realise that.”
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The incident happened at a fundraising event
PA
Arton’s ban will prevent him from returning to rugby until July 2026 at the earliest. He appealed the decision on 28 August, claiming the sanction was excessive, but a fresh independent panel quashed the appeal.
The panel noted: “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.”
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Neil Arton appealed but this was rejected by the panel
PA
Despite Arton’s significant contributions to Bridlington RUFC, including fundraising and time commitment, the panel found his conduct during the hearing offered little hope that he had learned from the incident.
A separate allegation against Arton of attempting to grab another female club member inappropriately was not upheld by the panel.