Actor Harvey Spencer Stephens, as Damien for the film, 'The Omen'. Photo / Getty Images; 20th Century Fox
Actor Harvey Spencer Stephens, as Damien for the film, 'The Omen'. Photo / Getty Images; 20th Century Fox
The Omen may have given significance to the dreaded number 666, but it's Friday the 13th that's proving unlucky for Harvey Spencer Stephens, the former child actor who played Damien in classic horror film The Omen.
Stephens was sentenced by a judge on Friday the 13th after admitting to twocounts of actual bodily harm when he punched two cyclists in August last year.
He was sentenced to 12 months in jail, suspended for two years for the ABH charges and two months' jail, suspended for two years for the criminal damage charge.
The Sun reports that Stephens, 46, committed "a road rage offence in which he brutally assaulted two middle-aged cyclists without provocation.
They had been out on a Sunday bike ride when he lost his rag and attacked - punching them in the head and damaging one of the cyclists' helmets, which was worth £120 (NZD $202).
Kent Police investigated the incident, arresting Stephens "a week or two later". The altercation happened on Toys Hill, a steep climb and popular spot with cyclists.
Stephens was four when he was cast in The Omen, landing the role after attacking the film's director, Richard Donner, on command. He has had only two acting credits since: in a TV movie called Gaugin the Savage and, neatly, as a tabloid reporter in the 2006 Omen remake. His security firm went into liquidation at the end of 2016.
Previously speaking about playing Damien, he said: "It was good, but I was only five, a lot of it went over my head. It wasn't a big deal. It was good while it lasted."
