Fitness guru cleared of assault after punching City broker who said he had ‘small man syndrome’

A fitness model who broke the nose of a ‘drunk’ City insurance broker who mocked him for having ‘small man syndrome’ was cleared of ABH today (fri).

Personal trainer Mark Reynolds, 31, punched Jonathan Opie in Cornhill, City of London after he was insulted on 10 February last year, the Old Bailey heard.

BMS group broker Opie had been drinking while celebrating a birthday at Swingers Crazy Golf Bar in the City and was walking to Bank station with his wife Alice Hicks, his brother Mark Opie, and Mark’s girlfriend Victoria Livingstone, the court was told.

Reynolds, who had just left a client’s event to network and had only drunk one vodka and pineapple juice, bumped into Jonathan Opie and entered into a heated exchange with him on the pavement.

Jonathan Opie blocked Reynolds’ path at about 11.55pm before telling him “go home, you have small man syndrome”, and when Reynolds tried to leave, the drunken broker stopped him and said “what if I don’t let you leave?” the court heard.

Reynolds, who boasted he was the youngest Englishman to earn a black belt in karate at 12-years-old, told the Old Bailey Opie then ‘launched’ at him and so he had to strike the broker’s jaw in self-defence.

Giving evidence, Reynolds described how he saw the group coming up behind him on the pavement, and gestured for them to pass.

He said: ‘The group were just being jovial and clearly quite drunk. I remember one of the women saying “thank you.”

‘But Jonathan brushed past me saying “what kind of guy gives way and then stands in your way?”

‘I just shrugged it off, and let them pass while I tried to make a phone call.

‘I did not feel any animosity towards them, but I was walking faster than they were and caught up with them again quite quickly.

‘Then I tried to slip past them, and Jonathan, who seemed to be looking over his shoulder, then bumped into me.

‘It was pretty insignificant and I thought he was a bit drunk, so I did not react to it.

‘But he then said “oh look it’s Mr Small Man Syndrome again.”

‘I just thought it was a bit odd really because I had barely spoken to the guy.

‘I felt intimidated, it just seemed like a drunk guy acting up.

‘So I replied, saying “what are you on about? I’m just trying to go home.”

‘He then made contact with my shoulder as I was going to leave and stopped me leaving.

‘Jonathan said “what if I don’t let you leave” and he made towards my face.

‘I felt like he was going to attack me.

‘At that point I was completely surrounded so I instinctively hit him in the jaw.

‘The way he insulted me, goaded me and launched for me – I felt in danger and did not want to be attacked.

‘I never made an informed decision to harm Mr Opie, it was entirely in self-defence.’

The court heard how Jonathan’s wife Alice, who admitted having at least six margaritas that night, then pushed Reynolds against the wall and was trying to get at his face with her hands.

Prosecutor Richard Reynolds, of no relation to the defendant, accused Reynolds of assaulting Opie, but he was today cleared of assault occasioning ABH after an Old Bailey jury deliberated for less than an hour.

Jonathan Opie’s brother Mark – and his girlfriend Victoria Livingstone – both gave evidence, saying it was difficult to know what was said as recollections of events were ‘hazy’.

Mark Opie told the jury that his brother said something like ‘go home, you have small man syndrome.’

‘My brother was walking backwards so he would not have seen the defendant straight away,’ Mark said.

‘The defendant was just trying to get past and there was some joke said about him not doing a good job at it.

‘On the second occasion he pushed past my brother again, but I think my brother also started winding him up.

‘I was surprised to hear my brother say “do you have small man syndrome?”‘

Mark Reynolds, of Boston Park Road, Brentford, denied assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and was cleared of the charge.

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