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'Really drunk' Armitage denies alleged Toulon assault
ESPN Staff
February 11, 2015
Steffon Armitage has been linked with a return to the England squad © Getty Images
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Steffon Armitage is facing the prospect of a six-month suspended jail sentence and a €5,000 (£3,700) fine if found guilty of assault.

The Toulon flanker appeared in a French court on Tuesday after his arrest last month with team-mate Xavier Chiocci following an alleged assault involving a professional tennis coach at a beachfront restaurant.

Armitage, who has been linked with a return to the England squad after winning his last cap in February 2010, is alleged to have hit a 31-year-old on December 13 in a Toulon restaurant following his side's Champions Cup victory over Leicester.

The incident, the court heard, resulted in the alleged victim being unable to work for 45 days.

Armitage denied any wrongdoing, although he admitted to being "really drunk" and said he did not remember striking anyone deliberately.

"I contest the charges against me. I do not remember anything," Armitage said in court, according to La Provence newspaper. "I was really drunk and feel that I unintentionally fell on the victim, this injuring him but without doing it intentionally.

"One thing is for certain, I very much regret being drunk; I'm a professional player and as such must set an example."

Virginie Pin, lawyer for the victim, contradicted that claim and said Armitage had approached her client after the event asking him not to file a complaint. A ruling is expected on February 24.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd

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