Toulon, France--Prosecutors have requested a five to six-month suspended prison term and EUR5,000 ($5,649) fine against Toulon's former England flanker Steffon Armitage who appeared in a French court Tuesday on charges of assault.
Armitage, last season's European player of the year and capped five times by England, is alleged to have struck a 31-year-old man on December 13 in a Toulon restaurant after an evening drinking with teammates following their side's 23-8 victory over Leicester in the European Champions Cup.
According to witnesses, a fight broke out and Armitage, 29, and Toulon prop Xavier Chiocci, who was later released without charge by police, felled the restaurant goer before striking him, injuring his eye.
The row resulted in the alleged victim, who was also present during the hearing, being unable to work for 45 days.
In court Armitage reasserted his claim that he did not remember hitting anyone and disputed the facts.
The victim's lawyer Virginie Pin, however, claimed that Armitage had approached her client after the incident asking him not to file a complaint.
The court reserved judgement until February 24.
AFP
