Musician Goldie has been fined for assaulting a security guard who refused to let his daughter and her friend into a restricted area of the Glastonbury Festival.
The 52-year-old, whose name is Clifford Joseph Price, put bouncer Dennis Poole in a headlock and punched him at the inner stage production gate by the site’s Pyramid Stage.
Bristol Magistrates’ Court heard his daughter, Chance Price, 20, and her friend had attempted to gain entry to the restricted area at about 7pm on June 23 last year.
They had been “whisked” into the BBC area, where Price was due to be interviewed by Annie Mac, without passes but were stopped when they tried to re-enter after leaving to buy food.
Ms Price, who had not been to a festival before, phoned her father for assistance but when he arrived it was noted that he also did not have the required wristband for the area.
Witnesses described how Price was like a “raging bull” and “puffed his chest out” before pushing Mr Poole back and placing him in a headlock.
Both men ended up on the floor, with the security guard suffering scratches to his face and neck, a sore ear and a grazed elbow.
Price claimed he had acted in self defence before pleading guilty via FaceTime from Thailand, where he lives, at a hearing in March.
District Judge David Taylor fined Price £1,080 and ordered him to pay £500 in compensation to Mr Poole, a £108 victim surcharge and £775 in costs.
The judge told the musician, dressed in a three-piece suit, that he should have understood the need for “backstage security”.
“You were determined to get your own way. When this was prevented, you resorted to violence and you unlawfully assaulted Mr Poole,” he said.
“As a consequence, he sustained injuries, namely scratches to his face and neck and grazing to his elbow.
“Your entirely unjustified actions demonstrate an arrogant sense of entitlement based on your own self importance.
“The physical injuries sustained by Mr Poole at your hands were relatively minor but the assault has had an emotional and psychological impact on him.
“Although this assault took place in the context of a festival, thankfully no wider disorder occurred.
“This was an assault on a man simply doing his job.”
In a victim personal statement read to the court, Mr Poole said he had been forced to give up his career of six years.
Outside court, Price hugged his daughter in front of reporters and said: “I took a bullet for my daughter, I’m happy. I’m apologising as a man would do.”
When asked if he regretted his actions, he replied: “Me? Always sorry. Always be sorry for what you do.”
Prosecuting, Richard Posner told the court that the area Ms Price and her friend was trying to enter required a ‘P’ wristband or a gold BBC wristband, which they did not have.
Ms Price called her father, who arrived at the gate and signalled to Mr Poole to let them through, which the security guard refused.
In a statement, Mr Poole said: “He came right up in my face, he was telling me he could do what he wanted.”
Mr Posner said Price then “strode” towards Mr Poole and “squared up” to him, placing both hands on his chest to move him out the way.
When Mr Poole pushed him back, Price “went mad and became really aggressive”, one witness said.
The court heard Price “took a swing” at Mr Poole, connecting with his left ear, and scratched his face as he knocked his sunglasses off.
A fellow security guard said: “The man with the gold teeth got Dennis on the floor and was on top of him.”
Another described how, when on the floor, Price was “straddling him with both legs”.
Mr Poole’s nose was broken in the incident, apparently from colleagues trying to intervene.
In police interview, Price claimed he had been acting in self-defence but entered his guilty plea on the day he was due to stand trial.
Ms Price, of Leavesden, Hertfordshire, denied a charge of assaulting Mr Poole and the case against her was discontinued following her father’s conviction.
In a victim personal statement, Mr Poole said: “The incident shocked and traumatised me. I have suffered with nightmares.”
Representing Price, Peter Marshall said the experience of attending Glastonbury Festival for the first time was “entirely overwhelming”.
Price and his entourage, including his daughter, spent five hours travelling to the site and were then “whisked” inside the BBC area.
“No-one told Mr Price or Ms Price that they required other forms of accreditation or wristbands,” Mr Marshall said.
After being refused re-entry, Price called her father in a “distressed” state and he became “anxious” due to the size of the Somerset site.
“He was tired. He dealt with the situation wrongly and erroneously,” Mr Marshall added.
In character statements provided to the court, friends said Price was a “gentle soul” who had practised meditation and yoga.
Mr Poole, who attended the hearing, did not wish to comment as he left court.