England star Billy Vunipola looks sheepish on UK return after Majorca bar scrap as he admits ‘things got out of hand’
BILLY Vunipola has touched down in the UK after being nicked in a late-night Majorca bar row.
Our exclusive photos show the rugby ace, 31, arriving at Stansted Airport just hours after paying a €250 fine in an “express trial” on the Spanish tourist island.
Sheepish Vunipola walked through the terminal with his hands in his pockets after arriving on the 90-minute flight, which landed 20 minutes late.
The rugby player strolled through the airport’s international arrivals hall with a mate after landing from Palma on a Ryanair flight at 2.30pm.
Vunipola had a cut above his left knee, similar to a wound that may have been inflicted by one of the police’s taser shots.
He was met by fellow England and Saracens stars Maro Itoje and Elliot Daly and other pals who he embraced with handshakes and hugs, before leaving the terminal with the group.
Asked about the bar “scrap”, in which he was tasered twice, Vunipola told The Sun: “No comment.”
He wore shorts, a T-shirt and jumper while carrying a black backpack.
The rugby player, who was born in Australia and moved to the UK with his family when he was a child, reportedly threatened customers and staff in the bar after removing his shirt about 4.30am on Sunday.
Vunipola has denied making threats, engaging in a fight or violence, and throwing “bottles or chairs or anything else”.
But court officials in Majorca said on Monday that Vunipola pleaded guilty at a “speedy trial” on Sunday to “resisting the law” and “a minor crime of wounding”.
A police officer suffered injuries to his wrist and finger after the rugby player “lunged” at the cop, according to sentencing documents.
Officers responded to a call from security staff at Epic bar in the island’s capital, Palma, who said a “big man” was throwing bottles and bar stools at them, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin.
Vunipola said in a statement about midday on Monday: “I can confirm I was involved in an unfortunate misunderstanding when I was leaving a club in Mallorca on Sunday, which got out of hand.
“Contrary to media reports, there was no violence, no fight and I did not threaten anybody at any stage, with bottles or chairs or anything else.”
The Saracens No.8 was said to have been unaffected by the first taser police used on him while trying to resolve the situation.
Police clarified on Monday that the taser did not discharge the first time because the shot fired hit his wallet.
A National Police spokesman said: “It hit him in his wallet which meant it didn’t discharge as it hadn’t hit his muscles.”
The premises was evacuated before Vunipola allegedly challenged the officers and flexed his muscles.
Cops eventually overpowered the 6ft2in-tall player, who weighs nearly 20st, and handcuffed him after tasering him a second time.
It took eight cops, as well as the taser shots, to subdue him.
Vunipola was taken to nearby hospital Son Espases, where he was reportedly sedated and strapped to his bed.
I can confirm I was involved in an unfortunate misunderstanding when I was leaving a club in Mallorca on Sunday, which got out of hand
Billy Vunipola
Epic owner Toni Rocha said today that the rugby player had caused problems after arriving at the bar just before 3am on Sunday and “became worse” when he saw police officers arrive on scene.
Mr Rocha said: “I heard him insult police and say ‘f*****g cops’ at one point and there was another moment where he had his shirt off and hit an officer in the face with the top in his hand as the officer tried to reason with him.”
The bar owner said Vunipola and a friend ordered “six Amarettos with orange juice and freshly squeezed lime” as their first round, with “Billy having four and the friend the other two”.
Mr Rocha said Vunipola “started becoming a problem” the more he drank and had to be asked to put his shirt back on multiple times.
After removing his shirt for a third time, the bar’s staff decided to call the police – who Mr Rocha said “had to call for back-up” when they arrived and Vunipola confronted them.
The bar owner said: “He laughed the first time they went to taser him, it was like a film, and I heard the words ‘another one’ and the second time round he fell to the ground and the officers immobilised him and put wrist-ties on him.”
Mr Rocha’s business partner Janek Krause added: “He was very drunk and got aggressive.
“He didn’t attack any customers or pick up bottles or any chairs but he was taking his shirt off when that’s not allowed in our bar and refusing requests to leave.
He added: “”He laughed after the first taser shot and only went down after the second.”
Vunipola was taken to court on Sunday afternoon, wearing the same blue T-shirt and beige shorts he was arrested in, and was released on bail pending an ongoing investigation.
Billy Vunipola's career
BILLY VUNIPOLA was born to Tongan parents in Australia in 1992 and moved to Wales aged six after his dad signed with Pontypool RFC.
He played for New Panteg RFC and Thornbury RFC as a youngster before landing a scholarship to the prestigious Harrow School.
His impressive displays for Harrow saw him picked up by Rugby Union giants Wasps.
He made his first-team debut in the 2011-12 season and made a further 29 appearances before leaving the club at the end of the following season.
Vunipola was snapped up by his current club Saracens, whom he’s won a slew of silverware with, in January 2013.
The 31-year-old has won three European Rugby Champions Cups and four Premiership titles with Sarries.
The fan favourite has scored 145 points in 178 appearances for Mark McCall’s side.
Vunipola has been a mainstay of England squads for the last 11 years, making 75 appearances for the Red Roses.
He made his England debut in their 2013 tour of South America, coming off the bench to score in a 32–3 win over Argentina.
Vunipola has tasted Six Nations glory three times with England and the bitter pain of World Cup final heartache in 2019.
A spokesman for the National Police in Majorca said on Monday morning that “a 31-year-old foreign man” was arrested on suspicion of a crime of disobedience and assaulting a police officer.
He said: “The man would not listen to reason and confronted the rest of the customers, and the security staff were unable to restrain him or remove him from the premises.
“The police were alerted and the officers, on seeing the man, who was shirtless and making gestures with his hands, cleared the premises.”
He continued: “The police officers tried at all times to get him to calm down, but the man would not listen to reason.
“At that moment, the man pushed and slapped an officer and a policeman pulled out his electric stun gun and fired a first time although the gun didn’t discharge.
“A second projectile was then fired, which did the job, and it was then that the officers jumped on him and proceeded to immobilise him by shackling him, later taking him to Son Espases hospital for assessment and arrest.”
Saracens Rugby Club said on Monday that it was “aware of an incident involving Billy Vunipola in Majorca”.
The club added: “We will of course deal with this incident internally, and will not make any further comment until then.”
About midday on Monday, Vunipola said in a statement that he had been charged with “resisting the law” and had paid a fine of 240 euros following an “express trial”.
The man (Vunipola) stated he did not obey police orders and at one point when they tried to overpower him, he lunged at one of them and caused him an injury
Court officials
The rugby player said: “The Spanish police investigation is now closed, and I am flying back to the UK today.
“I will obviously cooperate with the Saracens internal process and unreservedly apologise for any inconvenience to all involved.”
Court officials in Majorca confirmed on Monday that Vunipola was fined 240 euros (£205) after a “speedy trial”, and said the player had also been handed a four-month suspended prison sentence for “resisting the law” and “a minor crime of wounding”.
The officials said: “The accused man, who admitted wrongdoing at a speedy trial, must compensate the person he injured with 500 euros.”
They added: “The man stated he did not obey police orders and at one point when they tried to overpower him, he lunged at one of them and caused him an injury.
“The sentence cannot be appealed.”
Vunipola had been in a self-imposed teetotal phase since August 2022 – to regain peak form on the field – but fell off the wagon in Majorca, according to the Daily Mail.
