Soccer: Woodgate denied jumping on student, court told

Leeds United's Jonathan Woodgate has denied he jumped on an Asian student as he lay on the ground.

The footballer told police that he was "just being nosy" when he ran after team-mate Lee Bowyer and a group of friends, as they ran away from a Leeds nightclub.

Woodgate said he had slipped over on his ankle and had not gone into Mill Hill, where 20-year-old Sarfraz Najeib was kicked and beaten senseless in January last year.

Detective Constable Christopher Windle said Woodgate told him he and a group of friends, who he would not name, left the Majestyk nightclub after one of them was thrown out for being loud.

"There was something going on with some Asian lads," he was said to have told Dc Windle.

"I saw something but I couldn't remember what it was. The Asians ran, my mate ran and I followed him just to see what was happening, just to see what he was doing. "

Woodgate denied to police that he was racist. Asked how the person had come to be on the floor, Woodgate replied: "No idea. I was that far behind. I couldn't see anything."

He denied he and Bowyer had come round the corner and attacked anyone. And the footballer denied jumping on the person on the floor.

Woodgate, 21, of Middlesbrough, Bowyer, 24, an England Under-21 international, of Leeds, Tony Hackworth, 20, a reserve team striker of Leeds and Neale Caveney and Paul Clifford, both 21, of Middlesbrough, deny causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Mr Najeib of Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

They also deny affray.

Woodgate, Caveney and Clifford, with Leeds United player Michael Duberry, 24, also plead not guilty to conspiring to pervert the course of justice after the attack in January last year.

Woodgate was also asked by police about blood found on the cuff of his leather jacket, claimed by the Crown to be that of the victim's brother Shahzad Najeib.

Told that a court could draw an inference from a failure to account for the bloodstain, he made no comment.

The trial was adjourned until Monday.