French drop case against England flank
NEWS: A French court has ordered assault charges dating back to 2014 against former England flank Steffon Armitage to be dropped, the player’s lawyer Clement Lambert said Monday.
Armitage, who was playing for Toulon when the alleged assault took place, and erstwhile teammate Xavier Chiocci were suspected of having struck a 31-year-old man at the end of an evening spent drinking following their side’s 23-8 victory over Leicester in the European Champions Cup.
France international prop Chiocci was quickly acquitted while Armitage, currently at the end of his contract with Pau, was called before a Toulon court in February 2015.
Prosecutors called for a five to a six-month suspended prison sentence and €5,000 ($5,649) fine for Armitage over the incident which occurred in a Toulon restaurant.
But the court ruled that the facts were not clearly established, leading to the dismissal of charges against Armitage, capped five times by England and 2014 European player of the year.
Agence France-Presse
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