Steven Gerrard will fight civil court action LIVERPOOL FC captain Steven Gerrard will “strenuously” fight a claim for damages from the businessman he punched in a Southport nightclub. ![[Linked Image]](http://1.2.3.9/bmi/images.icnetwork.co.uk/upl/liverpoolecho/jul2009/6/5/steven-gerrard-204779761.jpg)
Gerrard was cleared of affray last month following the fight with Marcus McGee, but six of the Liverpool midfielder’s friends received suspended jail terms and community service.
Mr McGee, 34, who lost a front tooth and suffered facial cuts in the incident last December, said he has told lawyers to begin civil action for compensation for his injuries.
Mr Gerrard’s lawyer Richard Green told the ECHO: “If proceedings are issued we will strenuously defend them.”
“In terms of any claim, my client was charged with section 47 assault but that was dropped because there was no evidence that he caused any injuries.
“I would have thought that if there was going to be a claim it would be against the six who pleaded guilty as opposed to the one who was acquitted.
He said the first time he became aware of Mr McGee’s intention to sue was when the read the Sunday newspapers.
He added: “I have not spoken to my client, but I have got a fair idea of what he would say.”
Mr McGee told a Sunday newspaper that he did not believe that justice had been served in the trial.
He said: “I still can’t believe that they all walked free – that they effectively got away with beating me up.
“Surely, if another group of lads were captured on camera doing what this lot did, then they would be facing jail, or at least one of them would as a warning to others that it is not acceptable to embark on mindless violence.
“The attack and the fighting lasted about six minutes in two chunks of time and it was all caught on camera.
“It’s like two rounds of boxing only the second time a pint-size cocktail glass hits me on the forehead and causes a nasty gash that starts spurting blood.”
“Despite reports, I am not a fan of Manchester United. That couldn’t be further from the truth because I support Manchester City.
“I have no personal axe to grind with Steven Gerrard. I just want to see fairness across the board and justice being seen to be done.
“That night my friends who run the bar asked me to look after the music. I just wish now I had changed it like I was asked and none of this would have happened.
A jury at Liverpool crown court acquitted Gerrard of unjustly attacking Mr McGee in the Lounge Inn in Southport, on December 29 while he was celebrating Liverpool’s 5-1 defeat of Newcastle United hours earlier.
Gerrard admitted hitting him but denied affray, saying it was in self-defence.
Five of Gerrard’s friends admitted affray and another pleaded guilty to threatening behaviour in a fight. They were given sentences of 18 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and were told to do 150 hours of unpaid work.
THE ECHO
