Steffon Armitage is facing a five to six month suspended sentence after being accused of assault in Toulon last December. The English backrower appeared in French court on Tuesday, where the prosecution requested that suspended sentence.
Armitage is contesting allegations that he struck a 31-year-old man in a Toulon restaurant after his team's victory over Leicester Tigers in the Champions Cup on the 13th of December. The confrontation resulted in the man being out of work for 45 days.
In court, Armitage maintained his innocence while apologising for being drunk in a public restaurant:
I contest the charges against me. I do not remember anything. I was really drunk and feel that I unintentionally fell on the victim, this injuring him but without doing it intentionally.
One thing is for certain, I very much regret being drunk; I’m a professional player and as such must set an example.
The victim's lawyer is contesting Armitage's claim. They claim that Armitage approached the man to apologise for the incident, and requested that he not file a complaint against him.
The court has reserved judgement until the 24th of February.
Photo Credit Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
