Christchurch Senior Constable Keith Rose, 59, admitted abusing a ref and assaulting an referee assistant while he was off-duty and watching his son play football.
While the assistant ref, Hayden McCabe, was so traumatised by the June 29 incident that he has not officiated at a game since, Senior Constable Rose left Christchurch District Court yesterday after being ordered to pay $1500 in emotional harm compensation to Mr McCabe and headed to the golf course for a round.
Senior Constable Rose, who has been in the force for 42 years, has been placed on restricted duties as he awaits the outcome of an internal police enquiry and a code of conduct meeting.
Police declined to comment any further, and neither did Senior Constable Rose as he left court yesterday following his guilty plea on an amended charge of common assault.
The court was told Senior Constable Rose had been sitting in the main grandstand at ASB Park to watch his son play for Western against Cashmere Technical in a premier league match.
Senior Constable Rose was seen and heard to make "a number of adverse comments regarding the performance of the referees during the game", the police summary of facts said.
After the match, in which his son's team lost 4-1, Senior Constable Rose turned to other spectators in the grandstand and said, "That ref was s***''.
He moved down in front of the players' tunnel as the four match officials were walking off.
A group of supporters abused the officials as Senior Constable Rose told the referee: "You are a f****** disgrace''.
As the officials made for their changing facilities, Mr McCabe "collided'' with Senior Constable Rose in an action unlikely to have been deliberate, according to Judge Robert Murfitt.
Senior Constable Rose grabbed Mr McCabe around the front of his throat, and "held him for several seconds''.
"The action was observed by a number of people present in the area,'' the summary of facts said.
"As a result, several persons came to the assistance of the victim and pulled Rose away, allowing the victim to gain access to the players' tunnel.''
Police prosecutor Stephen Burdes said Mr McCabe had suffered greatly since the assault, and when he had gone to watch football matches, he'd been subjected to ridicule from supporters.
Judge Murfitt told Senior Constable Rose he had "behaved like the spectator from hell''.
He was left in no doubt that the match officials would have felt "quite intimidated''.
Mr McCabe did not suffer any physical injuries but had given up refereeing because of the social anxiety, the judge said.
Local governing body Mainland Football fined Western $2000 over the affair and suspended its coach Julian Morris for two games for abuse of the referee.
Mainland Referees Committee representative for Canterbury Paul Dalziel said referees had the overwhelming support of players and spectators and this "isolated incident'' had shocked everybody.
He expected the association judicial panel to lay down the law to Senior Constable Rose.
Mainland Football chief executive Mike Coggan said the judicial panel has been waiting for the court case to conclude before making any final decision.
A decision on whether Senior Constable Rose would be banned from attending future games would be considered, he said.
