what lovely lads they are! a brief look at their past!
Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer both have histories of violence. These were kept from the Hull Crown Court jury. Bowyer narrowly escaped jail after appearing in court for a violent drunken brawl in a McDonald's restaurant, and Woodgate admits butting a teenager in Middlesbrough when he was only 14. Woodgate was also arrested two years ago on suspicion of taking part in the beating and kicking of a student after a late-night confrontation in a pub in Middlesbrough. The attack bore chilling similarities to the assault on Sarfraz Najeib. Bowyer was caught on video throwing chairs at two Asian staff at the drive-in fast-food outlet in the Isle of Dogs, east London in 1996. He was 19 at the time and had just been transferred from Charlton Athletic to Leeds for £3.5 million. Thames Magistrates Court heard how Bowyer and two friends arrived at the McDonald's in Trafalgar Way at 6am and after an argument over the menu rushed in and started throwing chairs. Two members of staff were injured in the attack. The three attackers were "clearly drunk", says police. Bowyer admitted affray, was fined £4,500 and ordered to pay £175 to the two victims. Leeds United also fined Bowyer £4,000 and warned him that a repetition could result in his being sold. Peter McCormick, who was then the Leeds director in charge of discipline, told the court: "Leeds United many years ago was a fairly unpopular club. We took a conscious decision as board of directors that this would be a club in more recent times that would do everything it could to achieve standards of discipline both on and off the pitch."
Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer both have histories of violence. These were kept from the Hull Crown Court jury. Bowyer narrowly escaped jail after appearing in court for a violent drunken brawl in a McDonald's restaurant, and Woodgate admits butting a teenager in Middlesbrough when he was only 14. Woodgate was also arrested two years ago on suspicion of taking part in the beating and kicking of a student after a late-night confrontation in a pub in Middlesbrough. The attack bore chilling similarities to the assault on Sarfraz Najeib. Bowyer was caught on video throwing chairs at two Asian staff at the drive-in fast-food outlet in the Isle of Dogs, east London in 1996. He was 19 at the time and had just been transferred from Charlton Athletic to Leeds for £3.5 million. Thames Magistrates Court heard how Bowyer and two friends arrived at the McDonald's in Trafalgar Way at 6am and after an argument over the menu rushed in and started throwing chairs. Two members of staff were injured in the attack. The three attackers were "clearly drunk", says police. Bowyer admitted affray, was fined £4,500 and ordered to pay £175 to the two victims. Leeds United also fined Bowyer £4,000 and warned him that a repetition could result in his being sold. Peter McCormick, who was then the Leeds director in charge of discipline, told the court: "Leeds United many years ago was a fairly unpopular club. We took a conscious decision as board of directors that this would be a club in more recent times that would do everything it could to achieve standards of discipline both on and off the pitch."
