Player’s punch broke his hand

CHELSEA football star John Terry punched a nightclub bouncer in the face so hard he broke a bone in his hand.

Terry, 21, suffered what doctors call a “boxer’s fracture” near the knuckles of his right hand when he punched doorman Trevor Thirlwall, it was claimed.

The former England Under-21 captain’s hand was examined by Chelsea medical officer Dr Neil Fraser the day after he allegedly attacked Mr Thirlwall, 28, at the exclusive Wellington nightclub in central London, on January 4.

Dr Fraser told a jury at Middlesex Guildhall Crown Court in London: “The injury suggested he had broken that bone having put some degree of force through it.”

Terry, who was wearing a ring on that hand, has admitted punching Mr Thirlwall once but claims it was in self-defence.

Mr Thirlwall claims the player attacked him with a bottle and has told how he felt his eye “explode in blood”.

Terry was on a night out with Chelsea team-mate Jody Morris, 23, and Wimbledon’s Dublin-born star Des Byrne, 21, when the fighting broke out.

On the 11th day of the trial yesterday Morris became the third of the players to give evidence. He denied attacking anyone, claiming he was too small to have done so.

The 5ft 5in star had been accused of swearing at club manageress Sasha Keegan and had been asked to leave, the court heard. Morris denied swearing at the manageress and claimed he was talking reasonably with Mr Thirlwall and another bouncer, Shaun Brice, in reception when the violence started.

He told the jury the fighting started with Mr Thirlwall throwing a punch at Byrne and saying to him: “F*** off you Irish p****.”

Byrne became “really angry” and went back through the door where he got “battered”, Morris said.

He denied being drunk in the club and also denied telling Mr Thirlwall: “I can get you the sack, I earn more in a week than you earn in a year.”

In his closing remarks to the jury, prosecutor Jeremy Donne claimed the three footballers had been “behaving badly” that night and then Byrne “completely lost it”.

Terry denies wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possessing a bottle as an offensive weapon. Byrne denies possessing a bottle as an offensive weapon and all three players deny affray. The trial was adjourned until today.