What a tit:
One of the country's most high profile sports writers, Rob Shepherd of the Daily Express, has today been sentenced to 14 months in prison for attacking a man in a wine bar.
Express football editor Shepherd, 41, was sentenced at Croydon crown court in south London this afternoon and ordered to pay a total of £5,000 in costs and compensation.
He was taken straight to prison from the courtroom and is expected to serve at least half of the sentence in custody. He was ordered to pay £2,500 in compensation and £2,500 in total for his own costs and those of the prosecution.
He was found guilty of grievous bodily harm on December 8 after biting a man in La Rascasse wine bar in Beckenham High Street on July 5.
The journalist had been arguing with his wife in the bar because he did not approve of her showing off some lingerie she had just bought, Shepherd told the judge in December.
But another drinker in the bar, David McMenigall, told the court that as Shepherd was leaving, he placed his hands on Mr McMenigall's shoulders and bit him in the face after a disagreement over a mobile phone.
Shepherd said he acted in self-defence as he thought he was going to be attacked by Mr McMenigall or his friends.
He was not remanded in custody at the hearing in December because Judge Kenneth Macrae said it would be unfair to his two children just before Christmas.
But he banned Shepherd from pubs and ordered probation officers to investigate the sports writer's drinking habits and deferred sentencing until today.
The Express was not prepared to comment on Shepherd's imprisonment.
Shepherd was among 25 Express staffers to receive a £40,000 windfall from Lord Hollick when he sold the paper to Richard Desmond in 2000.
As one of football's highest profile hacks, working alongside Harry Harris at the Express, Shepherd made regular appearances on television and radio shows, talking about the game.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2004/jan/09/pressandpublishing.dailyexpress/print