Leeds attack: Victim's brother thought he was dead

The brother of a man allegedly attacked by three Leeds United footballers has been telling a court he thought Sarfraz Najeib had been killed.

Shahzad Najeib told the Hull Crown Court jury that he went to see his brother Sarfraz lying on the floor after he was assaulted in Leeds city centre. He told the court that three or four white males were attacking the 20-year-old and that two men also attacked him.

Leeds United footballers Lee Bowyer, 24, of Leeds, Jonathon Woodgate, 21, of Middlesbrough, and Tony Hackworth 20, of Leeds, all deny causing Mr Najeib, of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, grievous bodily harm with intent. They also deny affray.

Mr Najeib said: "He was lifeless - I thought he was dead. I fell to the ground and as I fell to the ground another guy came.

"And when I got up he was behind me and he punched me from behind on my ear. I was bleeding from my ear. The guy in front punched me again and I went back down and I was kicked in the chest."

Mr Najeib, 21, who suffered a cut ear, a bloody nose and a chest injury, told the trial: "I was shouting: 'Stop, leave him, he's had enough'. At the same time I was getting punched.

"They were just beating him around his head and face. They were just kicking him. Repeatedly they just kept kicking him. It was just aggressive, very violent, with force.

"Because he was lying there unconscious his head was just being knocked about. I could tell there was severe damage being done to him. They were basically kicking and stamping on him."

Two men, Paul Clifford, 21, of Middlesbrough, and Neale Caveney, 21, of Middlesbrough, deny causing grievous bodily harm and affray. Woodgate, Caveney and Clifford, together with Leeds United player Michael Duberry, 24, of Leeds, also deny conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

This article is from The Revival's first website, where its publication date was not recorded. The date shown above is approximate.