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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Gerrard denies 'losing control' | Gerrard denies 'losing control' |
| (9 minutes later) | |
| Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has told a court he did not lose control on the night he punched a businessman in a bar on Merseyside. | |
| The England player told Liverpool Crown Court he was used to people bothering him and had ways of smoothing over trouble when confronted by people. | The England player told Liverpool Crown Court he was used to people bothering him and had ways of smoothing over trouble when confronted by people. |
| Mr Gerrard has admitted punching Marcus McGee in the Lounge Inn, Southport, but said he was defending himself. | Mr Gerrard has admitted punching Marcus McGee in the Lounge Inn, Southport, but said he was defending himself. |
| The footballer, of Formby, Merseyside, denies affray. | The footballer, of Formby, Merseyside, denies affray. |
| Mr Gerrard was in the Lounge Inn in Southport with friends in the early hours of 29 December last year to celebrate Liverpool's 5-1 win over Newcastle United. | Mr Gerrard was in the Lounge Inn in Southport with friends in the early hours of 29 December last year to celebrate Liverpool's 5-1 win over Newcastle United. |
| The jury has heard the 29-year-old estimated he was seven out of 10 on a drunkenness scale. | The jury has heard the 29-year-old estimated he was seven out of 10 on a drunkenness scale. |
| 'Lot of mither' | |
| "I certainly knew I had had a drink," Mr Gerrard told the court. | "I certainly knew I had had a drink," Mr Gerrard told the court. |
| "I was certainly in control of how I felt in my surroundings." | "I was certainly in control of how I felt in my surroundings." |
| Mr Gerrard's barrister, John Kelsey-Fry QC, said he had been in trouble with the police before - when he was 19 he was banned from driving for nine months for drink-driving. | |
| Mr Gerrard said he had not been in trouble with the police since then, or involved in any other violent incident. | |
| Mr Gerrard was with a group of friends at the Lounge Inn | |
| He said he suffered "a lot of mither", not just in bars, but at traffic lights, shopping centres and in restaurants. | |
| "For example, because I am a footballer, sometimes I get supporters coming up to me, be they Liverpool fans or Everton or Manchester United fans, and sometimes the comments can be derogatory or insulting. | |
| "So I try to deal with it in the best way I can. | |
| "I try to talk to them and smooth it over." | |
| John Doran, 29, of Woodlands Road, Ian Gerrard Smith, 19, of Hilary Avenue, and Paul McGrattan, 31, of Linden Drive, all Huyton, have all admitted affray. | John Doran, 29, of Woodlands Road, Ian Gerrard Smith, 19, of Hilary Avenue, and Paul McGrattan, 31, of Linden Drive, all Huyton, have all admitted affray. |
| Accrington Stanley footballers Robert Grant, 19, of Enstone Avenue, Litherland, and Ian Dunbavin, 28, of Guildford Road, Southport, have also admitted affray. | Accrington Stanley footballers Robert Grant, 19, of Enstone Avenue, Litherland, and Ian Dunbavin, 28, of Guildford Road, Southport, have also admitted affray. |
| John McGrattan, 34, of Rimmer Avenue, Huyton, has admitted threatening behaviour after denying affray. | John McGrattan, 34, of Rimmer Avenue, Huyton, has admitted threatening behaviour after denying affray. |
| The trial continues. | The trial continues. |