Teen needs six stitches after being ‘glassed’ in the head during footie ace Troy Deeney’s 3am nightclub brawl
James Hancox, 19, needed six stitches after the 3am fight started, he says, by the footie ace
A TEEN claims he was glassed in the head during a brawl that erupted around footie ace Troy Deeney and saw him thrown out of a nightclub.
Carpenter James Hancox, 19, needed six stitches after the 3am fight — which he says started following a row with the Premier League striker.
He told pals that Deeney, 28, snatched his phone and refused to return it when he tried to take a picture of the Watford captain.
One said: “There was a mass brawl and James ended up with a big gash on the back of his head.
“He’s given a statement to police and it’s all on CCTV apparently.”
The Sun told yesterday how Deeney was thrown out of the Birmingham club in the early hours of Sunday and threatened with pepper spray by police.
He denies attacking anyone and insists he is a victim, as he was punched by two men.
The injured man’s friend said that Deeney, a lifelong Birmingham City fan, was in a bad mood after earlier being hassled by rival supporters of Aston Villa. He helped relegate Villa last season after scoring three times against them in two wins for Watford.
The source said: “He’d been getting loads of stick from Villa fans and they’d been throwing stuff at him so he wasn’t in the mood to have his picture taken.
“James went up to take a photo and Deeney grabbed his phone and wouldn’t give it back.
“James and his mate started arguing with him. He’s only about 5ft 6in and skinny so I doubt he’d have thrown a punch at Deeney.
“He’s not the type. He goes out all the time but he’s never got into any fights or scuffles before. He’s a nice lad. He just wanted his phone back.”
Bouncers at the city centre Levana Bar ejected several clubbers, including Deeney, before police arrive to calm the situation.
Video footage shows a policewoman holding up a pepper spray to an angry-looking Deeney’s face and yelling: “Get back!”
The fight kicked off hours after Watford lost 2-0 to Manchester United. No arrests were made at the time and the complaint against Deeney wasn’t made until later.
In 2013 Deeney was sentenced to ten months in jail over a Birmingham club brawl. After his release he said he was a reformed character.
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: “Enquiries are on-going.”