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April 19, 2002 (Friday) from
Jonathan Woodgate Club
Newspaper faces
contempt hearing over footballers' trial
The Sunday Mirror is
to face accusations of contempt of courtrelating to the collapse of the first
trial of Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer.
They were on charges arising out of a serious assault on a student.
The Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith QC, was asking the High Court to impose
fines on the newspaper for publishing in April last year what the trial judge at
Hull Crown Court feared was a prejudicial interview with a member of the
victim's family.
Bowyer, a former England under-21 player, was eventually cleared at a second
trial in December of causing grievous bodily harm and affray.
Woodgate, was ordered to do 100 hours community service after being found guilty
of affray.
He was found not guilty of GBH with intent in relation to the street attack on
Sarfraz Najeib.
The cost of both trials has been estimated at £15 million.
Bowyer and Woodgate are reported to be facing legal bills in excess of £1
million each. Leeds United says they will be allowed to continue playing for the
Premiership team but will not get help with their legal bills.
The contempt application against Sunday Mirror publishers MGN before Lord
Justice Kennedy and Mrs Justice Rafferty could last two days.
At the second trial, England defender Woodgate's friend Paul Clifford, was found
guilty of causing GBH and affray and jailed for six years. Another friend, Neale
Caveney, was found guilty of affray but cleared of GBH. He was also ordered to
do 100 hours community service.
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