Bird cleared over pub attack on woman - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Bird cleared over pub attack on woman

05/02/2010 03:13:20 PM Comments (0)

Gold Coast Titans rugby league player Greg Bird has been acquitted of attacking a woman with a bottle at a southern Sydney nightclub.

Victoria Shannon accused Bird of swinging punches at her breasts, swearing at her and insulting her at Fusions nightclub in Cronulla on January 19, 2008.

Ms Shannon also alleged she was left bleeding and shaking after Bird hit her in the head with a glass drink bottle and poured the contents over her.

Bird previously told a Sydney court it was Ms Shannon and her sister who attacked him and he only spilt some drink on her when he raised his hands to defend himself.

In Sutherland Local Court on Friday, Magistrate Jayeanne Carney threw out the five charges levelled against Bird, saying she did not believe Ms Shannon's story.

"I accept Mr Bird's version that he did not throw the bottle," the magistrate said.

"He believed tipping some drink (on Ms Shannon and her sister) would halt their aggression.

"Mr Bird adopted the least physical intervention he evaluated as appropriate in a split second decision-making process.

"I will find that Victoria Shannon's evidence was akin to shifting sands ... inconsistencies and confusion permeated (her evidence)."

The acquittal comes three months after Bird had a domestic abuse conviction overturned in Sydney's District Court.

Bird had been sentenced in June to a minimum eight months' jail over the alleged glassing of his American girlfriend Katie Milligan in the face during an argument at their Cronulla apartment.

Bird was in court on Friday as the magistrate threw out the second group of charges, which predated the allegations made about the incident with Ms Milligan.

He previously told the court that he remembered getting into a verbal fight with Ms Shannon in which she called his friend's fiancee a "f***ing bitch" and him a "f***wit footballer".

Bird responded: "You are a f***wit slut."

"All of a sudden (the sisters) were charging at me," Bird told the court.

The footballer said he put his arms up to defend his face and spilt some of his drink on them.

"I thought they might stop punching me if I kept pouring it," he said.

When the court reconvenes on Friday afternoon both legal teams will discuss an agreement over reimbursement for his court costs.

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