Manchester United captain Roy Keane was today cleared of assaulting a teenager who taunted him in the street.
Keane (33), was aslo cleared of a public order offence and criminal damage.
Manchester United soccer captain Roy Keane leaving Trafford Magistrates Court today after being cleared of assaulting a 16-year-old-boy and of causing criminal damage and using threatening behaviour
District Judge Paul Richardson delivered his verdicts at Trafford Magistrates Court, Greater Manchester, after Keane repeatedly denied manhandling the youth despite the abuse.
The footballer, who remained seated while the judge gave his ruling, gave no reaction as he was cleared of the three charges.
Mr Richardson said he had to remind himself of the high burden of proof needed to convict a suspect in court. He said he was not satisfied the standard had been reached. "Accordingly I dismiss these three charges." Mr Richardson said he was not convinced by the evidence given by the 16-year-old.
"It was clear to me this was a young man who enjoyed the attention that the incident had given him," he added. "Given his motive was at the best very questionable, I could not rely on his evidence."
The judge said the three charges of common assault, criminal damage and the public order offence arose out of the same incident and so all stood or fell together.
Earlier, giving evidence under oath, Keane admitted he was angry with the teenager after he called him a "w**ker". But he denied grabbing him by the neck and shouting in his face after clashing with him last September.
Keane confronted the lad when he spotted him a few weeks later outside his home in Hale, Cheshire, last September.
The court was told that after exchanging words with the teenager, Keane walked away with his dogs. But once the footballer had left, the teenager said to his friend "what a w*****" - and Keane overheard the remark and returned, it was alleged.
It was claimed Keane grabbed the youngster around his neck while shouting at him with his forehead against the youngster's.
Keane denied lashing out with a walking stick when he first saw the youngsters as they initially drove past him. And in the second incident weeks later, he again denied physically manhandling the teenager.
"I walked towards him and asked him if he gave me a hand gesture a couple of weeks earlier," Keane said. "I just wanted to ask him to see if it was him and ask why he had done it. "He said along the lines of 'you tried to knock me off my bike'.
"I was quite surprised, I think I might have said 'no I didn't'. . . . I basically said I was not a w***** and I did not try to knock you off your bike and something along the lines of watch your mouth."
Keane was asked by his barrister if he had thrown a mock punch at the youngster's face, his fist stopping just before contact. Keane said it had not happened.
After walking away, he said he overheard a remark from the teenager to his friend saying "what a w*****. Keane said he went to speak to the lad to "nip it in the bud" because on occasion he walked his dogs with his young family.
Under cross-examination by prosecutor Peter McNaught, the footballer was asked about the media spotlight and attracting attention while relaxing, walking with his dogs. "It's part of the trade," said Keane.
The player said he had spoken to the boy in a "polite and calm" way about the swearing. In a statement to police read out in court, Keane said the lad was "quite lippy to say the least, saying 'get out of my face, get walking your dogs', just giving lip basically."
Mr McNaught asked why he decided to go back to the lad after overhearing the "what a w***er" remark. "Just to have another word with him, give him another warning," Keane replied.
"What warning?" the prosecutor asked. "Along the lines of watch your mouth," Keane replied.
Mr McNaught asked "what were you going to do if he did not watch his mouth?"
"I'm not sure, telephone the police, along those lines," Keane said. He admitted he was "just a little bit angry".
Mr McNaught said: "This 16-year-old youth a few weeks ago calls you a w***er. You have gone across to speak to him and he wouldn't answer your question. Then he called you a w***er again. Just a little bit angry?"
"Just a touch," Keane replied. The footballer denied losing his temper and throwing a punch or grabbing the youngster's neck. He also denied snapping a neck chain belonging to the youngster during the incident.