The prosecutor in the trial of two Leeds United footballers today warned the jury not to be influenced by the players' fame when deciding if they were guilty of beating unconscious an Asian student.
Mr Bowyer, Mr Woodgate and two of their friends face jail if convicted of grievous bodily harm with intent and affray after Mr Sarfraz Najeib was attacked in central Leeds in January 2000. They deny the charges.
|
"Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer are both remarkable footballers, amongst the country's best," said prosecutor Mr Nicholas Campbell, ending his summing-up in the six-week trial.
"You may be tempted to think you are sure they were acting violently that night, sure they were participating in the assault against Sarfraz Najeib, sure there was a cover-up, but that to do anything to interrupt their careers would be too harsh for just a few minutes' lack of judgment."
Mr Campbell said if the jury thought this way, they would not be "true to their oaths".
Mr Bowyer's account of what happened the night of the assault was like a storyline from the US science fiction series X-files, Mr Campbell said.
The midfielder told the court he was not involved in the attack because he fell over and was hit by an unknown attacker before reaching the scene.
But Mr Campbell said Bowyer's account was "bogus" and relied on "virtual Jonathan Woodgates" and another "spectre Lee Bowyer" in the area of the attack.