Thursday, 31 May 2012

Sunderland's Bramble Cleared of Assault


Sunderland defender Titus Bramble has been cleared of sexually assaulting two women.

The footballer was found not guilty by a jury at Teesside Crown Court following a four-day trial.

He was accused of groping a woman in a nightclub in Yarm, Teesside, before sexually assaulting a different woman in a taxi.

The woman from the taxi, who cannot be named for legal reasons, claimed Bramble grabbed her hand twice and put it on his crotch.

He also placed his hand between her legs, she said, which made her "scared".

"He put his hand between my legs and up my dress and I told him to stop immediately," the woman told the court.

Bramble, from Wynyard near Middlesbrough, was arrested after the taxi driver drove the pair to a police station.

The woman said she locked herself in a toilet at the police station and refused to leave until the 30-year-old had been led away by officers.

But Bramble told jurors the complainant was "touchy-feely and flirty" and kissed him "passionately" in the taxi from the Cross Keys nightclub.

She also put her hand on his crotch during the journey, he said.

Bramble's defence lawyer, Ronnie Jaffa, said the woman made the allegation to "save face" after she regretted kissing him.

The other woman said she felt someone grope her bottom at the nightclub.

Because the venue was dimly lit she did not see who grabbed her, she said, but a man she later identified as Bramble was standing behind her "smirking".

She told the jury she said, "Don't you grope me like that", before finding out that Bramble played for Sunderland Football Club.

The woman said she replied: "I don't care what he does, he's not grabbing me like that."

She reported the incident after the other allegations was made.

Both women claimed to have been assaulted on September 28 last year.

The footballer, who has played for Ipswich, Newcastle and Wigan Athletic, denied all charges.


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