October 23

October 23, 2001 (Tuesday) from Yahoo!

Duberry denies saving his skin, court told

By Ian Key

HULL (Reuters) - Leeds United's Michael Duberry has denied at Hull Crown Court that he sacrificed his England team mate Jonathan Woodgate to save his own skin.

The former England under-21 international was acquitted at an earlier trial this year after being accused of lying to save himself from a jail sentence. That trial was halted after an article in the Sunday Mirror.

Duberry, 26, claims that minutes after an Asian student was attacked and badly beaten, near Leeds city centre, "Woody" had admitted being involved in the assault.

Duberry told the jury on Tuesday that he had lied to the police originally but was now telling the truth in court.

But Woodgate's defence lawyer, David Fish QC, told Duberry: "You made it up at the last trial to save your own skin, to avoid going to prison, that is the truth."

The Leeds defender replied: "No."

The prosecution has alleged that Woodgate and team mate Lee Bowyer, along with two other men, were involved in a brutal attack on student Sarfraz Najeib, in January last year. They both deny charges of assault.

Sarfraz, now 21, was left with serious injuries, including a broken leg, broken nose and cheekbone after he was chased into a side street following an incident outside a Leeds city centre night club.

The prosecution claim that the student was punched, kicked, jumped on and bitten during the attack.

Woodgate, 21 from Middlesbrough, Bowyer 24, from Wetherby, south Yorkshire and two other men, Paul Clifford and Neale Caveney, both 22 from Middlesbrough, are facing a retrial over the alleged assault.

All four men deny affray and causing Najeib grievous bodily harm with intent.

The trial is expected to last up to 10 weeks. The case continues.

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