Man discovered responsible of headbutting Roy Keane at Emirates Stadium
Scott Law, 43, has been found guilty at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court of headbutting football pundit Roy Keane at the Emirates Stadium after Arsenal’s 3-1 victory over Manchester United on September 3 last year.
Ex-Ireland international and Manchester United star Keane was headbutted on September 3 last year by Law, who was on trial last week.
Highbury Corner Magistrates’ heard how Keane and fellow pundit Micah Richards had been walking to do the final match analysis after Arsenal beat United 3-1. Law, Waltham Abbey, Essex, had pleaded not guilty to the charge of common assault after he supposedly headbutted him through some doors at the Emirates Stadium.
During the trial at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court, Keane said of the incident: “There was lots of noise and shouting, as you would expect at a football match.
“I was just walking and, before I knew it, I was hit. I felt the contact and fell back through some doors. I was absolutely not expecting it. The only way I can describe it is that I was in shock. I didn’t expect it to happen, not when I was in my workplace.”
Keane added in court: “Micah then gets hold of someone. He was just trying to get a grip of him and make sure he didn’t run off.
“I was saying ‘call the police’. For about 15 or 20 seconds Micah was holding him up against a wall (to stop) him getting away.”
Law’s defence however argued that the CCTV footage which was shown in court revealed Keane elbowing him in the face. Being cross-examined, a police officer involved in the case said in court that while there may have been contact from Keane it did not appear to be intentional.
When asked by the defence barrister what justification here could be for raising his elbow, Detective Constable Phil Dickinson, from the Metropolitan Police’s sporting investigations unit, said: “In my opinion, he’s gone to grab hold of him.”
He added: “There may have been contact, but it does not look like a deliberate elbow to the face in my opinion.”
Micah Richards also gave evidence at the trial. He said he “felt sorry for Roy. Just because of the fact you’ve come to work, to do your job and you’ve been assaulted.
“I could see he was physically shaken up. You do what any friend would do, or any colleague, step in and try to help the situation.”
Simon Jones KC, the prosecution barrister, said: “Self-defence has no place in this case and there is simply no justification for the defendant’s violence.”
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