Soccer: Jury resumes footballers' deliberations

The jury in the Leeds United footballers trial is to resume its deliberations after finding four of the defendants not guilty of conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

The jury in the Leeds United footballers trial is to resume its deliberations after finding four of the defendants not guilty of conspiring to pevert the course of justice.

Michael Duberry, team-mate Jonathan Woodgate and two of Woodgate's friends, Paul Clifford and Neale Caveney were all found not guilty of the charge at Hull Crown Court.

Woodgate, Clifford and Caveney, all 21 and from Middlesbrough, and fellow Leeds player Lee Bowyer, 24, of Leeds, deny charges of causing grievous bodily harm to 20-year-old Sarfraz Najeib in January last year.

Jurors told the trial judge yesterday that they had reached no verdicts on the assault and affray charges faced by the four.

As the remaining defendants left the dock, Woodgate paused and embraced Duberry, his best friend.

Two weeks earlier Duberry had admitted in court telling lies to police to protect Woodgate. He also told the jury that Woodgate had admitted to him that he had been fighting some Asians.

The prosecution had alleged that, following the attack on Mr Najeib, Duberry had driven three of the accused away from the scene and to his home on the outskirts of Leeds.

Mr Najeib had suffered serious injuries in the attack in Leeds city centre, including a broken leg, fractured nose and a bite mark to his right cheek.

It was alleged there was a conspiracy to hide or destroy potentially incriminating evidence when Duberry provided Clifford and another man with a change of clothing.

Duberry told the jury that the reason he supplied two tracksuits to the pair was because another man, James Hewison, was so drunk that he had vomited over the others while in the back of his black Range Rover.