NHS boss headbutted former Leeds United star in jealous attack
A SENIOR NHS boss headbutted Leeds United legend Tony Dorigo in a jealous rage after he spotted the former footballer out with his ex-girlfriend.
Gareth Senior carried out the attack in an upmarket Leeds city centre store when he spotted Mr Dorigo and Claire Joss together.
Senior had been in an 18-month relationship with Ms Joss which ended two months earlier.
Senior pushed his love rival into a towel display at The White Company before headbutting him in the face.
Leeds Magistrates’ Court heard the attack happened on February 6 this year in the Victoria Gate store.
The court heard the relationship began to deteriorate after Senior introduced her to Mr Dorigo at a music festival in Manchester. The IT manager, based at Quarry House in Leeds, had started a relationship with Ms Joss in April 2016 after meeting her at work.
They had both left their partners to be together, but broke up shortly before Christmas last year and Senior became suspicious that she had been seeing the former Leeds United left back and England international.
Senior went to confront the pair after spotting Ms Joss meet Mr Dorigo.
The incident was captured on CCTV footage played to the court. Senior faces losing his job after being convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Senior admitted pushing Mr Dorigo but denied the headbutt,
Deputy District Judge Paul Currer said he was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Senior had headbutted Mr Dorigo.
He said: “This represents something of a personal crisis that you went through in the last couple of years.” Senior, of Mozart Way, Churwell, was fined £500 and ordered to pay £100 compensation to Mr Dorigo, plus £300 court costs.