One of a group of Asian students taunted a drunken friend of Leeds United footballer Mr Jonathan Woodgate before punching him in the face in a confrontation, a court heard today.
A doorman at the Majestyk nightclub in Leeds told Hull Crown Court that Mr James Hewison had been thrown out of the club for being drunk and looking for fights with customers.
As Mr Woodgate and other friends tried to calm him down outside and lectured him for ruining their evening, the group of students came out, said Mr Graham Lawson.
The group of students allegedly included Sarfraz Najeib who Woodgate and teammates Lee Bowyer and Tony Hackworth are accused of assaulting in a street attack.
Mr Lawson said the students started "taunting" and laughing at Mr Hewison, who twice "squared up" to them, despite being restrained by England defender Mr Woodgate.
Mr Desmond de Silva, QC, for Lee Bowyer, said: "There was a large group of white males, some of them drunk. There was Hewison drunk and looking as if he was squaring for a fight. This was asking for trouble?"
Mr Lawson replied: "Yes."
Mr Woodgate, 21, of Middlesbrough; Mr Bowyer 24, an England Under-21 international of Leeds; Mr Tony Hackworth, 20, a reserve team striker of Leeds; and Mr Neale Caveney and Mr Paul Clifford, both 21, of Middlesbrough deny causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Mr Najeib of Rotherham, South Yorkshire. They also deny affray.
Mr Woodgate, Mr Caveney and Mr Clifford, with Leeds United player Mr Michael Duberry, 24, also plead not guilty to conspiring to pervert the course of justice after the attack in January last year.
PA