Premiership: Woodgate escapes jail over attack on student
Jonathan Woodgate has been given 100 hours community service after being found guilty of affray after a street attack on a student.
He was also cleared of GBH but his friend Paul Clifford was found guilty of causing GBH and affray, and sentenced to six years in prison.
Another friend Neale Caveney was found guilty of affray but cleared of causing GBH. He was also given community service.
Woodgate, 21, of Middlesbrough and Paul Clifford and Neale Caveney, both 22 and from Middlesbrough, all denied causing Sarfraz Najeib grievous bodily harm with intent. They also denied affray.
Woodgate's team-mate Lee Bowyer walked free from court after being cleared of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and affray by a jury at Hull Crown Court.
In mitigation, David Fish QC said there was "abundant evidence" that his client Woodgate had acted as a "peacemaker" during the evening.
"Your lordship is not here dealing with - in Mr Woodgate's case - someone who was looking for trouble. We submit therefore his behaviour was not a contributory factor in the start of the incident outside the Majestik or of the chase.
He added: "It was - as found now by the jury - one minute of pure folly when Mr Woodgate turned from peacemaker to chaser in a way which, we submit, was out of character and drink may have played some part in that."
It was revealed that Woodgate was earning £13,000 a week without bonuses - shortly due to increase to £15,250 with additional bonuses of £50,000 depending on the number of first team appearances.
His barrister, Mr Fish, said however that the financial burden of his costs were well over £1m - the cost of the two trials. He added: "He has been very substantially punished financially irrespective of the very high income that he can expect to earn during the currency of his career."
