A law firm employee who punched a steward at a football match has been issued with a rebuke by the regulator.
Nicholas Galloway, a former administrator with international firm CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang, was arrested and evicted from Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield after the altercation during Sheffield Wednesday’s FA Cup win against Newcastle in January 2023.
Galloway, who was drunk and had no recollection of the incident, had assaulted the steward and caused him a cut, bruising and swelling. He was kept in police custody overnight and released on bail.
In April 2023 Galloway pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and he was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work. He also had to commit to an alcohol abstinence requirement for 120 days, pay £1,000 compensation and was banned from Hillsborough for five years.
The SRA said Galloway had harmed public trust in the profession but decided that a written rebuke was the appropriate sanction.
A more serious sanction was rejected because the regulator considered this was an isolated incident and the conduct was out of character. Galloway had admitted what he had done and showed insight and remorse, with a low risk of repetition.
Galloway had been with CMS since 2017 but left the firm last year. He was also ordered to pay £600 costs.
