Jan

It’s Official! Steven Gerrard a potential guest of Her Majesty’s Crown Court Establishment

By Darius

So the legal system has helped provide some clarity where the British public and media applied selective amnesia. Mr. Steven Gerrard OBE is bailed to appear before a judge and jury at the local Crown court instead of the lesser North Sefton Magistrates Court for assaulting a DJ who refused to play Stevie his favourite track by Phil Collins – I mean, how dare he – didn’t he know who Stevie G was? LOL!.

It was hard not to notice the outpouring of support for Steven Gerrard OBE, when he was first arrested for assault leading to actual bodily harm (ABH) and affray. For the common man, this is an extremely serious offence, but the squeaky clean image of Mr. Football, undoubtedly one of the best midfielders in the world, and an English pride and joy on and off the field, somewhat encouraged the British media and public to overwhelmingly pour there support for the Liverpool FC superstar.

There’s something wrong with this picture. I mean, if this was Joey Barton of Newcastle United – who has been a regular resident in prison as a guest of Her Majesty the Queen – people would be crying for his head on a stick. What Joey Barton did during Christmas 2007 was not any worse than what Stevie G is accused of doing during Christmas break 2008 , well perhaps except for the fact that Barton was caught on CCTV camera beating the living shit out of someone.

Never the less, its hypocritical to treat Mr. Gerrard any different because he is a celebrated footballer and a member of the exclusive club of the order of the British Empire (don’t start me on this one – someone needs to tell Aunt Liz she doesn’t have an empire any more).

The move today by North Sefton Magistrates court recognizes the severity of the assault and has rightly referred the case to the Crown court.

I lifted this explanation of the difference between the Magistrates court and the Crown court off the web:

All criminal cases start in a magistrates’ court or youth court. The vast majority will remain there, providing the offence is not considered so serious that only a crown court can deal with it.

A Magistrates’ court can issue fines, conditional discharges, community sentences and terms of imprisonment.

Offences fall into three categories, which dictate where they will be dealt with:

Summary offences – where the defendant is not entitled to trial by jury and must be dealt with by magistrates. These include motoring charges and minor assaults;

Either-way offences – such as theft, handling stolen goods and more serious assaults. Procedures take place to decide where the case will be held. The defendant can be tried by magistrates or can request a jury trial at the crown court;

Indictable-only offences – These include murder, manslaughter, rape and robbery, and must be dealt with by a judge at the crown court.

Well, at least some Magistrate is sober enough to see this issue for what it really is…and what’s with denying the assault charge. Marcus McGee ended up in hospital and someone beat the shit out of him for refusing to play a phil Collins song for Mr. Steven Gerrard OBE – How dare he!