Bradford Bulls star Chris McKenna walked free from court yesterday after a jury cleared him in minutes of an affray charge.
McKenna, 32, a hard tackling centre or second row for the Bulls, said he was relieved it was over after he was unanimously acquitted following a one-and-a-half day trial at Leeds Crown Court.
The court had been told that the player punched and knocked unconscious another man, Michael Hassan, outside the Revolution nightclub in Leeds, after Hassan had punched him. The blow to Mr McKenna snapped a tooth and pushed another one back, costing him thousands of pounds in dental treatment.
The prosecution claimed Mr McKenna's blows were unlawfully violent and reflected the star losing his temper or seeking revenge. But Mr McKenna told the court he had acted in self-defence and was trying to diffuse the situation when a fight broke out outside the club. The Australian player, of Headingley, Leeds, who used to play for Leeds Rhinos, had drunk about ten pints during a night out with his wife, Kelly, and friends for a birthday celebration. Kelly, who is 5ft 3ins and blonde, told the court she had been knocked cold during the incident and said her husband had just wanted to get away from the situation. Tributes were paid during the trial to the church-going rugby star, a father-of-three who has been married for ten years.
Father Christopher Willis, parish priest at St Urban's Catholic Church in Headingley, said Mr McKenna attended the church with his family. He told the court: "He is devoted to his family and his wife and I have never had occasion to have reservations about his character."
Bradford Bulls coach Steve McNamara said the player had never been sent off or sin- binned for the Bulls and was controlled and professional in what he did. He said Mr McKenna was signed when the Bulls had problems with discipline and wanted to bring in people to address it.
The Great Britain and Leeds Rhinos coach Tony Smith said he had played against and coached Mr McKenna and he had always shown discipline on and off the field. Mr Smith said he had never had concerns about the player using excessive violence and retaliation was not in his nature.
The jury took only 15 minutes to find Mr McKenna, who denied affray, not guilty.
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