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| Bellamy 'grabbed woman's throat' | |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Premiership footballer Craig Bellamy grabbed a woman by the throat after they bumped into each other at a nightclub, a court heard today. | Premiership footballer Craig Bellamy grabbed a woman by the throat after they bumped into each other at a nightclub, a court heard today. |
| Cardiff magistrates heard how the Wales and Liverpool striker collided with Sophie Palmer, 19, before grabbing the wrist of her friend Holly Smith, 20. | Cardiff magistrates heard how the Wales and Liverpool striker collided with Sophie Palmer, 19, before grabbing the wrist of her friend Holly Smith, 20. |
| He followed the pair along the corridor of Cardiff's Number 10 nightclub and grabbed Ms Palmer by the throat. | He followed the pair along the corridor of Cardiff's Number 10 nightclub and grabbed Ms Palmer by the throat. |
| Mr Bellamy, 27, denies two counts of common assault. | Mr Bellamy, 27, denies two counts of common assault. |
| Ms Palmer, now 20, from Barry, near Cardiff, told the court how the incident unfolded on 5 February this year. | Ms Palmer, now 20, from Barry, near Cardiff, told the court how the incident unfolded on 5 February this year. |
| She said she encountered Mr Bellamy as she walked along a narrow corridor to the VIP bar followed by two friends. | She said she encountered Mr Bellamy as she walked along a narrow corridor to the VIP bar followed by two friends. |
| "I began to walk through the gap and Craig Bellamy was walking in the other direction and he bumped into me. He was quite aggressive, he was just swaggering around," she said. | "I began to walk through the gap and Craig Bellamy was walking in the other direction and he bumped into me. He was quite aggressive, he was just swaggering around," she said. |
| He grabbed me with both hands around the neck and held me up against the wall and he was squeezing Sophie Palmer | He grabbed me with both hands around the neck and held me up against the wall and he was squeezing Sophie Palmer |
| "I turned around and said to him 'excuse me why couldn't you wait in that gap there'". | "I turned around and said to him 'excuse me why couldn't you wait in that gap there'". |
| She said Mr Bellamy swore at her, saying she was too fat to get around and called her a "slag". | |
| Asked how she responded, Ms Palmer said: "I shrugged it off, said 'whatever' and kept walking in the direction I was going." | Asked how she responded, Ms Palmer said: "I shrugged it off, said 'whatever' and kept walking in the direction I was going." |
| Soon after she turned around to see her friend Holly Smith "having words" with Mr Bellamy. | Soon after she turned around to see her friend Holly Smith "having words" with Mr Bellamy. |
| "I can't remember if he pushed her or she pushed him first, but they both pushed each other," she said. | "I can't remember if he pushed her or she pushed him first, but they both pushed each other," she said. |
| Soon after, she told the hearing that the footballer followed her along the corridor. | Soon after, she told the hearing that the footballer followed her along the corridor. |
| "He grabbed me with both hands around the neck and held me up against the wall and he was squeezing," she said. | "He grabbed me with both hands around the neck and held me up against the wall and he was squeezing," she said. |
| I pointed him out to the bouncer and said 'that's the guy who just strangled me' Sophie Palmer | I pointed him out to the bouncer and said 'that's the guy who just strangled me' Sophie Palmer |
| The next thing she remembers was hearing people shouting "Get him off her," and somebody intervening. | The next thing she remembers was hearing people shouting "Get him off her," and somebody intervening. |
| "I pointed him out to the bouncer and said 'that's the guy who just strangled me'," she added. | "I pointed him out to the bouncer and said 'that's the guy who just strangled me'," she added. |
| The court heard how Mr Bellamy's friend and sometime minder Franklin Lynch then grabbed her with both hands and forced her out of the VIP room. | The court heard how Mr Bellamy's friend and sometime minder Franklin Lynch then grabbed her with both hands and forced her out of the VIP room. |
| She said he pushed her with both hands until the reached the entrance of the nightclub where he held her by the bottom of the neck. | She said he pushed her with both hands until the reached the entrance of the nightclub where he held her by the bottom of the neck. |
| Mr Lynch, who denies a charge of common assault, was telling door staff to remove her from the nightclub while still holding onto her. | Mr Lynch, who denies a charge of common assault, was telling door staff to remove her from the nightclub while still holding onto her. |
| 'Far prettier' | 'Far prettier' |
| Ms Palmer, who used to work behind the bar at the same nightclub, said doormen calmed Mr Lynch down and he released her. | Ms Palmer, who used to work behind the bar at the same nightclub, said doormen calmed Mr Lynch down and he released her. |
| As a result of her ordeal, she said she suffered bruising to her arms and neck and scarring on her chest from recent surgery started to bleed. | As a result of her ordeal, she said she suffered bruising to her arms and neck and scarring on her chest from recent surgery started to bleed. |
| Mike Hammett, prosecuting, told magistrates that when interviewed by officers, Mr Bellamy said he had caught the eye of one of the women at which point she asked him "what he was looking at". | Mike Hammett, prosecuting, told magistrates that when interviewed by officers, Mr Bellamy said he had caught the eye of one of the women at which point she asked him "what he was looking at". |
| He told officers that he replied: "If I was looking at anyone it would be those two behind you because they are far prettier." | He told officers that he replied: "If I was looking at anyone it would be those two behind you because they are far prettier." |
| Mr Bellamy then said the woman slapped him and he made a counter complaint to the police. | |
| The trial continues. | The trial continues. |