A JUDGE has suggested to Carlisle bare-knuckle fighter Danny Christie that he could seek legal advice about whether a court order which bans him communicating with Derek “Decca” Heggie could be changed or removed amid continued contact between the pair.

Christie, now 38, has made several court appearances during the past four years against a background of bad blood and fallouts with fighter turned actor Mr Heggie.

In November, 2019, Christie received a suspended prison sentence and restraining order at Carlisle Magistrates’ Court for harassing Mr Heggie and his promoter. That restraining order prohibited him from contacting Mr Heggie and posting anything about him on social media for five years.

Later in November the same year, Christie was jailed by a crown court judge for intimidating the promoter during a verbal outburst which was filmed and posted on Facebook.

The feud between Christie and Mr Heggie later spilled over once more, leading to Christie appearing in court again last year.

Christie was sentenced and narrowly avoided another spell in prison for flouting the restraining order on four separate dates. All breaches involved the posting of videos online, the second showing a brutal bareknuckle bout between Christie and Mr Heggie with footage revealing a boxing ring and the presence of two referees.

A judge heard the fight attracted hundreds of thousands of hits on Mr Heggie’s YouTube channel.

Christie received a suspended prison sentence for that, and a night-time curfew which he completed.

He was also ordered to undergo 40 days’ rehabilitation with the probation service but was brought back to court this week for allegedly failing to attend two appointments and not providing a reasonable explanation.

After discussions between a prosecutor and probation officer, the allegation was withdrawn in light of Christie’s positive progress.

Prosecutor Brendan Burke told the court Christie’s compliance with rehabilitation days he had attended was “excellent”. Christie, he said, had “signally moved on in his life” with domestic circumstances being “stabilised”.

“He is is following his career legally,” said Mr Burke of bare-knuckle fighting aspirations which included a win at Wembley’s OVO Arena.

There also appeared to have been a thawing in relations between Christie and Mr Heggie, Mr Burke telling the court: “The last communication from Mr Heggie (to Christie) two days ago, which I’ve seen, was nothing but respect — “mate, you’re really putting Carlisle on the map; our beef is over”.

Yet Judge Andrew Jefferies KC remained concerned about the presence of a restraining order to which Christie remains subject.

“I’m going to be blunt with you,” Judge Jefferies told Christie. “I don’t think that (order) should ever have been made. The magistrates are the ones who imposed that when you were there in 2019. It runs, I think, until 2024. I can’t do anything about that here because I didn’t make it and this court didn’t make it.

“But if you have the opportunity, I would think about going and seeing a lawyer, a solicitor, to get that restraining order either removed or changed.

“And the reason is that restraining orders are normally (imposed) where there’s somebody nasty and a victim — a proper victim, like the example I gave earlier (in the hearing) of a man who beats his wife up all the time.

“Heggie’s not the victim. He’s no victim of yours any more than you’re a victim of his. What you were doing wrong, you were both engaged in illegal fighting but as bad as each other. So I don’t think that’s what restraining orders are for, to have it against you and not against him.

“So what I’m going to advise you do, or suggest you do, if you want to, is go and speak to a solicitor to see whether they can go and get rid of that restraining order. It may be the magistrates don’t agree. They may not agree.

“But I’m telling you as a judge, in a crown court, I don’t think you should be subject to that; you should go and argue it. It’s no good you arguing it; they won’t listen to you. But you need to get yourself a solicitor to argue it for you.”

As the hearing concluded, Judge Jefferies reminded Christie, of Currock, Carlisle: “For now you’re still subject to that restraining order — risk of prison — and you’re still subject to the suspended sentence — risk of prison.”