Liverpool captain Gerrard charged over bar br...

Liverpool captain Gerrard charged over bar brawl

Category: Celebrity Legal
Posted 12 months ago by Queenoftab
Credit: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081230/en_afp/britainc
LONDON (AFP) – Top English footballer Steven Gerrard was charged Tuesday with assault and affray over an alleged bar brawl while out celebrating a crushing match win for the Premiership leaders, police said.

The Liverpool midfielder, 28, was charged along with two other men who were also arrested early Monday after an incident at a late-night bar in Southport, north of Liverpool in northwest England.

The venue`s disc jockey, a 34-year-old local man, required hospital treatment after suffering facial injuries.

"He was charged in the early hours of this morning with assault and affray," a spokesman for Merseyside Police told AFP. The football star was released on bail from Southport police station early Tuesday.

Gerrard, not normally known for off-field indiscretions, featured heavily on the front pages rather than at the back of newspapers Tuesday.

"Then it all kicked off," splashed the daily Mirror alongside amateur pictures of the Liverpool star drinking before the incident, while the Independent had "The night Gerrard hit the bar."

The disturbance occurred hours after Liverpool won 5-1 at Newcastle United on Sunday, with Gerrard scoring two goals. Also charged were John Doran, 29, and Ian Smith, 19, both from Liverpool.

Gerrard was arrested at around 2:30 am after a disturbance at the Lounge Inn, a restaurant on Southport`s Bold Street which doubles up as a music venue. The bar was closed Monday but shards of broken glass were visible on the floor.

Southport, a prosperous seaside town, is known as somewhere where footballers from nearby Premier League teams go to socialise.

"The three men will be appearing at North Sefton Magistrates` Court on January 23," a Merseyside police statement said. Three other men arrested in connection with the incident -- aged 33, 31 and 18 -- have been released on police bail pending further inquiries.

Liverpool Football Club has so far declined to comment.

The Reds head into the New Year with a three-point lead over Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table.

Liverpool won the last of their record 18 English titles in 1990 and keeping star player Gerrard fit and available is widely considered essential if they are to win the Premier League this season.

Speaking after the Newcastle victory, Gerrard said: "This is the best team I have played with. If we want to stay at the top and be involved in this title race we have got to deal with the pressure."

Gerrard has played 70 times for England and captained his country.

Born in the Liverpool suburb of Huyton, Gerrard has only ever played professional club football for Liverpool, for whom he made his debut in 1998.

Three years ago he inspired the team to come from 3-0 down at half-time to beat Italian side AC Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul as Liverpool reclaimed European club football`s most prestigious trophy.

Last year, Gerrard signed a contract keeping him at Anfield until 2011 and this October saw him score his 100th goal for the Reds.

The footballer is not known as a big drinker. However in 2001 he was spotted out drinking 11 hours before he was due to meet up with the rest of the England squad and had to apologise to then national manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.
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