Manchester United stewards 'broke City fan's leg after pushing him down flight of stairs'
Two Manchester United stewards broke a City fan's leg and ankle by pushing him down a stairwell at Old Trafford, a court heard yesterday.
Blues supporter Peter Sweeney, 47, claims he was assaulted by the men as they escorted him out of a derby match.
Mr Sweeney, from Macclesfield, was left with a broken right shin and left heel after the alleged incident on September 20, 2009. He was in hospital for three weeks as a result, the court heard.
Peter Sweeney claims he was assaulted by Manchester United stewards Mark Roberts and Paul Stringer
United stewards Mark Roberts and Paul Stringer pleaded not guilty to assaulting Mr Sweeney when they appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court today.
Recorder Judge Mark Ainsworth told the jury their decision in the trial should not be swayed by any 'allegiance to either club'.
'We want your verdict to be based upon the evidence,' he said.
'Please do not view that evidence through either red or blue-tinted spectacles.
'I'm sure you know what I mean by that.'
Mr Sweeney told the jury that he had gone to the match with six friends, and had drunk a pint-and-a-half of Guinness and blackcurrant before the game.
He said he had been caught smoking in the toilets at the ground by Mr Stringer, who escorted him outside minutes before the start of the match.
Mr Sweeney said around 30 people had been smoking in the Old Trafford toilets, and he had been 'singled out' by Mr Stringer.
The victim said he tried to bribe the steward with money so that he could stay - but he was ejected just before the game started at 1.30pm.
Mr Sweeney said he then bought another ticket for £40 and went back into the ground to watch 'the biggest game of the season'.
The court heard that Mr Stringer spotted Mr Sweeney for a second time and escorted him out, with the help of colleague Mr Roberts.
Mr Sweeney admitted he had been verbally abusive and called Mr Stringer 'a paedophile' moments before the alleged assault. 'I said it because I was angry and he was throwing me out of the ground, and being a bully,' said Mr Sweeney.
The jury was shown CCTV footage allegedly capturing the moment Mr Sweeney was then pushed down the stairs.
Mr Sweeney said Mr Stringer and Mr Roberts had then picked him up and taken him outside without calling medical help. 'I screamed out, I was in agony,' he said.
'They stood me up, and I had two broken legs.
'I spent three months in hospital and six months in a wheel chair.'
He said the pair 'didn't do a single thing' as he was screaming in pain but simply dragged him down the other flight of stairs and ejected him from the ground.
After seeking medical treatment, he was taken to the Manchester Royal Infirmary where his legs were X-rayed.
Mr Sweeney broke his right leg and left ankle. But in police interviews, the defendants claimed that he had simply 'lost his balance and fallen' and denied that they had pushed him.
Mr Sweeney said that he suffered from a medical condition that meant he could not digest food and had lost a lot of weight. He also took a methadone presciption every day.
Mr Roberts, 47, of George Street, Oldham, and Mr Stringer, 46, of Grange Way, Runcorn, Cheshire, deny charges of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The trial, expected to last three days, continues.
