Drunk football player charged for breaking officer’s leg

dubai — A footballer of a local club, who was drunk when he reportedly assaulted an onduty police officer outside a police station, was charged at a Dubai court on Sunday.

The Court of First Instance heard that the attack, in which the 30-year-old American allegedly used a solid object to break the officer’s right leg and ankle, took place on December 29, 2014. It was not immediately clear why the case took so long to reach the court. The footballer was charged with aggravated physical assault and verbal abuse of an on-duty police officer and consumption of alcohol without a permit.

The policeman said he was guarding the entrance gate of the Bur Dubai police station when the incident happened. “I was talking to a colleague when the defendant approached me and suddenly hit me from behind on my leg. I could not see right away what he was holding. I felt my leg got broken. I screamed and fell down.”

While another cop rushed inside the police station, the complainant claimed he had to struggle with the attacker to stop him from further assaulting him. The policeman, who witnessed the incident, said he went away to reach out for help.

The forensic report showed that the victim was left with a permanent injury in his right leg and ankle. A damage of 30 per cent was caused by the assault.

During interrogation, the defendant admitted to the charge and he claimed that he was not sober.

The trial will continue on March 17.