Liverpool FC captain Steven Gerrard (right)
pictured with a Liverpool fan earlier on in the evening at the
Lounge Bar in Southport before Gerrard was
arrested.
Gerrard, 28, was charged early on Tuesday morning over
the alleged fracas in which Marcus McGee, a company director, lost
a tooth and needed four stitches to a head wound.
He was released from custody at Southport police station almost
two hours earlier after police interviewed him and the other five
men, aged between 18 and 33 - none of whom are team-mates of
Gerrard - for most of the day.
Meryside police said Gerrard and two other men were charged with
ABH and affray. The other three have been bailed pending further
inquiries. Inspector Swan, spokesman for Merseyside Police, said in
a statement: "Merseyside Police have charged Steven Gerrard, 28, of
Formby, John Doran, 29, Ian Smith , 19, both of Huyton with Assault
causing Actual Bodily Harm and affray following an incident in Bold
Street, Southport.
"All three men will appear at North Sefton magistrates on Jan
23rd. "Three other men who were interviewed over the same incident
have been bailed. "They were released earlier tonight."
Gerrard and two other men were
charged under section 47 of the Offences Against the
Person Act, carry up to five years in jail.
The charges, under section 47 of the Offences Against
the Person Act, carry up to five years in jail. Wearing a white
t-shirt and smart black trousers, Gerrard attempted to cover his
face with his hands before being driven away in a black Citroen
Xsara people carrier, believed to be driven by his
father.
The Liverpool captain had been celebrating Sunday's 5-1 win over
Newcastle United, in which he scored twice, when a row is said to
have broken out involving Mr McGee about the music being played at
The Lounge Inn in Southport, Merseyside.
Gerrard is understood to have asked Mr McGee, a friend of the
restaurant's owner, if he could borrow a swipe card which staff
must use to operate the music system behind the bar.
Mr McGee is said to have refused to provide his card. Mr McGee,
34, a father of two, also suffered cuts to his face and a swollen
eye. He declined to talk about the incident as he recovered at his
home in Southport, but his mother Patricia said: "He was just out
for a drink with his partner and I have no idea how he became
involved in this.
"He lost a tooth and the whole family is really shaken up. I'm
looking after his two little girls at the moment and we just can't
believe this has happened."
Gerrard, who lives in Formby, Merseyside, is a regular customer
at the Lounge Inn, where spots of blood and shards of broken glass
could still be seen on the floor on Monday.
John Watts, whose daughter Eve had been celebrating her 35th
birthday at The Lounge Inn, said Gerrard appeared to be sober and
in good spirits shortly before the alleged attack.
He said: "When Steven Gerrard found out it was my daughter's
birthday he bought her a bottle of champagne. He seemed in very
good spirits. He wasn't drunk at all. He and his party were in a
separate room and I believe some of the people who were with him
were footballers, though I couldn't name them."
Mr Watts, who left the venue 15 minutes before the alleged
fight, added: "It was a really civilised occasion in a middle-class
bar."
