Bar owner glassed in club brawl

A bar owner was glassed in the face in a fight sparked when a young woman slapped a Premier League footballer across the face, a court has heard.

Shaun Wright-Phillips, 30 - a QPR midfielder who at the time was playing for Manchester City - was hit by the unidentified woman at the Panacea Club in Manchester, a popular haunt of footballers.

A fight broke out with people pushing and shoving, but as bouncers moved in to break it up the violence escalated, Manchester Crown Court heard.

The jury was shown CCTV footage from the club showing the diminutive Wright-Phillips reacting angrily and being held back by two men from approaching the woman further.

When the trouble began, Winston Wilson, 38, invited to the club by his childhood friend, Zat Knight, a defender for Bolton Wanderers, was drinking from a high ball tumbler, a glass with a thick base - and used it as a weapon, it was alleged.

In the stairwell of the basement bar he smashed the glass against a wall and shoved the jagged edge into the face of Joe Akka, the club owner, who was trying to calm down Wright-Phillips, the jury heard.

Mr Akka was slashed the length of the left hand side of his face and had to have plastic surgery after being taken to hospital.

Wilson, of Hever Avenue, Birmingham, denies wounding with intent and an alternative charge of wounding on November 14, 2010.

The jurors were told the trouble broke out on the night of the David Haye versus Audley Harrison heavyweight boxing match in Manchester and the club was extremely busy.

The trouble began around 2.30am in the public area of the club and spilled into the VIP area of the "Milan Booth", where footballers from Manchester City, Aston Villa and Bolton were present.