I was stupid to lie, says soccer star
Soccer star Danny Cadamarteri today said he had been “stupid” after he pleaded guilty to lying to police and concocting a false alibi.
The 22-year-old striker was sentenced to 180 hours’ community service after admitting conspiracy to pervert the course of justice at Liverpool Crown Court.
Cadamarteri lied to police when he was arrested for his part in a late-night fracas with a young woman in Liverpool city centre in October 2000.
The Bradford-born sportsman, who was playing for Everton at the time, told detectives he was nowhere near the scene of the assault and it was a case of mistaken identity,
He later asked his friend Peter Fletcher to corroborate the story.
He kept up the lie for more than 10 months until he finally admitted he was in the brawl just weeks before the trial was due to start at Liverpool Crown Court.
At that trial last year he pleaded not guilty to assaulting the complainant, lapdancer Joeline Joel, on grounds of self-defence. He was found guilty and fined £2,000 (€3,124).
Today Judge David Clarke told the “foolish” player he would have gone to prison if he had continued lying during the original assault trial.
He said: “When you were faced with police inquiries into the incident that had occurred, which led eventually to your conviction for an assault, you behaved in an irresponsible, foolish and criminal manner.
“First, you denied presence but what you then did was to involve your friends in going along with that lying account.
“If you had carried on that lying account into the trial and had gone into the witness box and committed perjury, you would undoubtedly be going to prison for it.
“Fortunately, you thought better of it, but it remains a serious offence that you committed and you must be properly punished for it.”
Speaking outside court, Cadamarteri, who now plays for Bradford City, apologised.
He said: “I have made mistakes. I’ve been stupid and now I’ve been punished for being stupid.
“I’d like to thank my friends and family and the vast majority of the people of Merseyside, who have supported me, and I’d also like to apologise to anyone directly affected by what has gone on.
“I’m appreciative the court haven’t taken away my liberty and now I am looking forward to getting on with my life and doing what I do best, which is playing football.”
Cadamarteri’s friend Peter Fletcher, of West Derby, Liverpool, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pervert the course of justice at an earlier hearing. He will be sentenced next week.
Danny Cadamarteri won the hearts of Evertonians when he scored in a 2-0 victory over Liverpool in October 1997, one of his first games in the main team.
He failed to live up to his early promise and was squeezed out of the first-team squad and into the reserves by players such as Kevin Campbell and Duncan Ferguson.
He signed a three-and-a-half year deal with Bradford City in February.
