Gerrard...

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Footballer Steven Gerrard denied today that he lost control on the night he thumped a businessman three times in a bar brawl.

The England international told a court he was used to "mither" (bother) and had ways of smoothing over trouble when confronted by people.

Gerrard, who denies affray, told Liverpool Crown Court he was having a great night on December 28 last year as he celebrated Liverpool's 5-1 crushing defeat of Newcastle Utd.

The star began his evening with friends at a bar in Formby, Merseyside, then went on to the Vincent Hotel in Southport before attending the Lounge Inn, where trouble flared.

The jury has heard that the 29-year-old estimated he was seven out of 10 on a drunkenness scale.

But he told the court today: "I certainly knew I had had a drink.

"I was certainly in control of how I felt in my surroundings."

Gerrard went into the witness box shortly before 11am.

His barrister, John Kelsey-Fry QC, told the jury and public gallery: "Obviously, there is no need to give an introduction to the captain of Liverpool Football Club."

The QC began by explaining that the father-of-two had been in trouble with the police before - when he was 19 he was banned from driving for nine months for drink-driving.

"Have you been in trouble with the police since then?" asked the barrister.

"No," replied Gerrard, who was dressed in a well-cut blue suit.

"Have you been involved in any other violent incident?" asked Mr Kelsey-Fry.

"No," replied the Reds captain.

He said he suffered "a lot of mither", not just in bars, but at traffic lights, shopping centres and in restaurants.

"What sort of mither?" asked his QC.

"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."

He added: "I try to talk to them and smooth it over."

But there was no smoothing it over in the early hours of December 29 when Gerrard and Mr McGee clashed.

The millionaire said he was given permission by the club manageress to choose music from a stereo Mr McGee was operating.

Recalling Mr McGee allegedly grabbing a music card menu from his hand, Gerrard said: "I asked Sabrina for permission to have an input into the music and she gave me permission to go over to the machine and have a look at the menu.

"It was a small A4-sized piece of paper covered in a plastic cover with numerous songs and then you speak to a member of staff if you want anything on.

"I looked for the music card and picked it up.

"I was looking at the music card for a couple of seconds for my songs and it was snatched out of my hands by a guy I didn't know at that time but I now know to be Marcus McGee.

"That's when I first spoke to Marcus McGee."

Asked what Mr McGee said to him, Gerrard apologised to the jury for his language before replying: "He said to me 'You are not putting no ******* music on in here'. "I was shocked and tried to speak to him and asked him what his problem was.

"I asked why I couldn't have an input in the music and tried to explain that I had permission from the manageress."

Mr Kelsey-Fry asked: "Did he explain it?" to which Gerrard replied: "No."

Explaining how it came to an end, the No 8 said: "He turned away from me and wasn't really listening to what I was trying to say and he swore at me a couple of times and we had an argument for four or five seconds and then he walked away.

"I remember asking a member of the bar staff if they saw the incident and what the guy's problem was, and the bar guy said he never saw it really, but told me to forget it."

Gerrard told the court that his friends and the manager of the bar recognised that there was a change in his facial expression and he explained to them what had gone on with Mr McGee.

He described how Mr McGee then walked towards the bar area of the Lounge Inn and sat on a bar stool and he pointed him out to friends.

Gerrard said Mr McGee was then staring at him.

Mr Kelsey-Fry asked the defendant: "What advice did you get from your mates?"

Gerrard replied: "Basically to ignore him and leave it."

Mr Kelsey-Fry then asked him: "Did you ignore it and leave it?"

The footballer said: "No."

Gerrard then told the court he went over to speak to Mr McGee.

He said: "I couldn't understand why the guy had such a problem with me, why he was so aggressive.

"I was also concerned that if I did leave it I would not have been able to enjoy my night, he may have come over to me.

"I wanted to see why he had such a problem with it, why a total stranger had such a problem with me putting my favourite songs on.

"I asked Marcus what was the problem with the music machine and why he treated me like that.

"Very quickly he came off the bar stool and was in my face right by me."

Gerrard said it was a heated discussion with Mr McGee and added: "He felt I was coming over, charging over to confront him in an aggressive way, which I didn't.

"I went over to speak to the guy and try and smooth the incident over."

He said that there was a lot of foul language going back and forth between the men.

He said: "When I first spoke to him I didn't intend to use any bad language."

Mr Kelsey-Fry asked Gerrard: "Why did you deliver a blow to Marcus McGee?"

The defendant replied: "To defend myself.

"It was very difficult at the time to explain to police why I did throw that first punch. We were arguing and I told the police I felt that Marcus came towards me and that's why I raised my arms.

"I firmly believed Marcus came towards me to hit me."
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you can see what the barrister is trying to argue.
 
Haha he seems like an angel up until -

Mr Kelsey-Fry asked Gerrard: "Why did you deliver a blow to Marcus McGee?"

The defendant replied: "To defend myself.
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He obviously has a good team of lawyers, even they can't hide the fact that he did the crime though.
 
The DJ sounds like a right **** although that's obviously how the defence want him to appear. It's quite the opposite of him running over and battering him for no reason as dm has stated happened time and time and time and time and time and time and time again.

Whatever the outcome if he did act like that he deserved a smack for acting like a **** just not the beating Gerrard's friends are meant to have given him afterwards.
 
Pigeon_Killer said:
The DJ sounds like a right **** although that's obviously how the defence want him to appear. It's quite the opposite of him running over and battering him for no reason as dm has stated happened time and time and time and time and time and time and time again.

Whatever the outcome if he did act like that he deserved a smack for acting like a **** just not the beating Gerrard's friends are meant to have given him afterwards.
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Hm, that description of events is probably very biased so there's no real point in basing opinions on it, either way, the other guy can say as many bad words as he wants, that's not illegal, illegal is hitting him (we all know it wasn't self defence :/)
 
Pigeon_Killer said:
Unlike the completely accurate events from the prosecution?

Until it's proved no we don't ;)
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I thought the other guy was struck first then Gerrard joined in, after he'd been hit already? Self defence to me would be taking 5 steps back while he recovers from the initial blow, not attacking him further :s
 
jakeke said:
I thought the other guy was struck first then Gerrard joined in, after he'd been hit already? Self defence to me would be taking 5 steps back while he recovers from the initial blow, not attacking him further :s
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Gerrard claims to have not been aware of his friends elbow (as his friend has partially pulled him away) and according to his police statement, the DJ wasn't aware of it either and said it was Gerrard that threw the first punch.
 
JohnnyG said:
I couldn't say for certain from the footage I've seen but if he's found guilty by a court of law he must be punished exactly the same as any other member of the public would for that offence.
Both feet cut off.
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But without his feet he won't be able to control the ball properly so will have to rely on Lampard-esque deflections. ;)

Tummy said:
I have my doubts about what kind of punishment he will be facing, as I said and DM just said, Liverpool captain, going through court in Liverpool.
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Maybe the judge will be an Everton fan...
 
jakeke said:
I thought the other guy was struck first then Gerrard joined in, after he'd been hit already?
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That's what it looked like from the video but my point was it's up to the courts to decide whether it was self defence based on all of the evidence, not the limited evidence we get to see.

If as BaZ said he wasn't aware of his friend elbowing him and only saw the DJs head make a forward motion towards him what's he going to think? He's just mouthed off and then made a lunge for him would be my guess.
 
Self defence :D Gerrard is having a laugh quite honestly. I hope the jury and the judge see through that and give him the punishment he deserves.
 
BaZ87 said:
Gerrard claims to have not been aware of his friends elbow (as his friend has partially pulled him away) and according to his police statement, the DJ wasn't aware of it either and said it was Gerrard that threw the first punch.
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Hmm, well it's pretty confusing and I suppose you'd have to have been there and heard/seen everything to really know what happened
 
Because its quite normal when you think someone *might*, on the off chance, spoil your night, to go up to him, a couple of minutes after colluding with your mates, to "equire as to whether it is indeed his intentions to spoil your night", then because he gets up off his chair you think he is immediately going to thump you, so you thump him first. Does that sum it up? What would he have done if the bloke had said "Yeah, infact I was planning on spoiling your night actually", is he saying he would have gone "Oh, ok, just checking like"? Either way striking the first blow is not self defence.
 
"I looked for the music card and picked it up.

"I was looking at the music card for a couple of seconds for my songs and it was snatched out of my hands by a guy I didn't know at that time but I now know to be Marcus McGee.

"That's when I first spoke to Marcus McGee."

Asked what Mr McGee said to him, Gerrard apologised to the jury for his language before replying: "He said to me 'You are not putting no ******* music on in here'. "I was shocked and tried to speak to him and asked him what his problem was.
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Need to know whether Gerrard indicated he wanted to put Phil Collins on before deciding whether the guy saying "no way in hell mate" is justified.
 
dirtydog said:
In fairness it CAN be, both in actuality and in the law, but in this instance there is no way it was.
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Especially as Gerrard's mate was ushering him away from him and was between them - looks like the guy says something as Gerrard's being shepherded away and Gerrard and his mate react and attack him rather than self-defence.
 
Linoge said:
I shouldn't be surprised at the undying loyalty Gerrard is getting in this thread, I really shouldn't. Still though. :o
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Really? :eek:

I don't think anybody has said he's done nothing wrong. Plenty have been callng for him to be hung though.

At the end of the day, he hit a Manc. He should be given the freedom of the City :p
 
I had a lot of respect for him until I saw the CCTV footage, he's just another overpayed footballer with a huge ego.

Bet he gets let off with it.
 
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