IRISH footballer Anthony Stokes has been told he must pay €230,000 to an Elvis impersonator he headbutted in June 2013.
The Blackburn Rovers striker was sued at Dublin High Court by Anthony Bradley and was this week ordered to pay his victim €150,000 in general damages, €50,000 in aggravated damages and €32,000 for medical expenses.
Stokes had pleaded guilty last November to assaulting Mr Bradley in Dublin nightclub Buck Whaleys.
After the High Court ruling this week, the victim’s lawyer, Joseph Burke, said: “Mr Bradley has indicated that he is pleased with the outcome and that he simply wishes to get on with his life.”
The damages award is enforceable in Britain.
Assault
Mr Bradley was headbutted on the bridge of his nose and suffered a deviated septum and two broken front teeth.
He spent eight months off work from his job as a car park attendant in Dublin's Gresham Hotel and subsequently stopped working as he suffered physical and psychological effects.
He has also been diagnosed with a degenerative spinal condition since the assault, which causes pain across his neck and shoulders.
At the earlier Circuit Criminal Court hearing, the court heard Mr Bradley had an exchange of words with a man in Stokes’ company because the man was unsteady on his feet and spilling his drink. The conversation was not considered aggressive by other witnesses.
After Mr Stokes “arrived out of nowhere”, the victim tried to tell him everything was okay before Stokes head-butted him on the bridge of his nose.
As Stokes was being removed from the nightclub he was heard saying: “What did I do? I didn’t start it. If someone puts it up to me I am going to nut them.”
Stokes, who was playing for Celtic at the time of the assault, won four Scottish titles with the Scottish club and has nine Ireland caps.
Last season he won the Scottish Cup while on loan at Hibernian.
He has made 10 senior appearances for Blackburn this season, scoring three goals.
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