Wednesday, 27 Nov 2024

Paul Scholes' son Arron, 19, GUILTY of assault after he beat up former school pal outside pub and 'laughed hysterically'

PAUL Scholes' teen son has been found guilty of a pub attack on a former school friend in which he "laughed hysterically" at his victim.

Arron Scholes, 19, left Robert Kemper, 21 with blood shot eyes and multiple bruising to his face when he punched him repeatedly outside a pub in Oldham.


The teenager, who is a striker for amateur side Royton Town, was accompanied to Tameside Magistrates Court by his football legend dad today where he denies common assault.

Paul, who stepped down as Oldham manager last week, swore at photographers outside as he made his way into the trial.

The court heard Mr Kemper, who had been drinking, said "all right mate" to Scholes after England's 2-1 victory over Tunisia in last year's World Cup.

He had gone to the Granby Arms with pals on June 18 after drinking beer and vodka when he noticed former school friend Scholes on the other side of the pub.

Mr Kemper said: "I got a very little response, thought nothing of it, walked away and went back to my friends. I knew Arron from school.

'I WAS STRUCK A NUMBER OF TIMES'

"Me and my friends were just discussing and talking about the football and then played some pool and I then went out for a cigarette.

''There was a couple of other people who came out but I can’t remember who was there. I was having a cigarette facing away from the door when I started receiving punches, I didn’t know where it was coming from or who was throwing them.

''I was just aware of walking out in a daze a few minutes later, I was still unsure of what happened. I was very confused about that incident – I just knew I was struck a number of times and I had not hit anybody else."

He said he was left with both his eyes swollen after the alleged attack, and explained he had fallen out with Scholes while they were at school together but later made up.

Mr Kemper added: "I’m not sure of the events of the night, I just know the injuries I sustained. I was in a daze and unconscious for most of it. I’m not sure whether the injuries or the alcohol affected my memory.”

'YOU CALLED HIM A P***Y'

Lisa Roberts QC, defending, questioned Mr Kember’s version of events saying he’d seen Scholes at another pub earlier in the evening and deliberately provoked him by calling him names.

“You shouted over to Aaron Scholes. You called him a ‘p***y’,” she said.

“You repeatedly asked him to go outside. You shouted over to him aggressively and said you wanted to see him outside.

“You wanted to see him outside to be threatening or violent towards him.”

The court was told after the incident Mr Kemper sent Scholes text messages saying: “Lol imagine that you bloodied my face. Lol I’m trying to sort things out with you.

"P***y, go one on one. Say something. I have got a black eye, fanny. Speak to me then, say something p***y.

"Say something or are you bent. P..s me off say something goon. You seen my eye you c**t, actually mad.”

Mr Kemper today denied calling Scholes a "p***y" at a different pub and asking him outside for a fight earlier in the night.

Under cross examination, he insisted he "didn't square up to him" but admitted the details were "quite hazy".

'LAUGHED HYSTERICALLY'

Scholes, of Grasscroft, Gtr Manchester, was spoken to by cops on October 24.

He claims he went outside to confront Mr Kemper after he was booted out the pub but "acted in self defence" as he thought he would be assaulted.

Prosecutor Miss Lucy Bridge said: "The victim went outside for a cigarette and the next thing he recalled was being punched to the head. He didn’t see who punched him and he said he felt lightheaded and dizzy after the attack.

''The landlady went outside and she saw the victim on his back being attacked by Arron Scholes. She was able to say that Robert Kemper did not retaliate at any time and she described the situation as an unprovoked attack."

The pub’s landlady Deborah Hardy, told the court how she’d heard the “banging of doors” and when she went to investigate she saw Scholes punching the victim.

Scholes, she said, had “jumped up and down” and “laughed hysterically” afterwards and then seemingly taken a photo of the victim on his phone, although the defence disputed this.

Your actions went beyond reasonable force to defend yourself

Finding him guilty, district judge Samuel Goozee said Scholes had used “a simmering tension” between him and his victim to justify his actions but this wasn’t supported by the evidence.

“You punched him once and then you punched him again,” he said.

“Your actions went beyond reasonable force to defend yourself.”

He added that there was “no evidence” of Mr Kember acting aggressively towards him.

The judge adjourned sentencing until 29 March at Manchester Magistrates’ Court and he told the court that his “provisional view” was a community sentence would be imposed

Paul Scholes was capped 66 times by England, won 11 Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues with Manchester United.

Last September, he turned out for Manchester League side Royton as they were short of players.

He decided to resign as boss of Oldham – the team he supported as a boy – on Wednesday, just 31 days after taking charge in his first managerial role.

Now his old United team-mate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has opened the door at the Carrington Training Ground to keep his eye in.

The trial continues.


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