Khodr Yaghi, soccer referee, is charged with assaulting a woman at Hornsby hotel
Packed twist in football referee saga as he is accused of assaulting a WOMAN: details of shocking allegations revealed
- Khodr Yaghi ‘pounded’ in on-field incident
- Viral footage of the incident sparked outrage
- Yaghi accused of assaulting a woman in March
A football referee who was praised for his bravery after suffering broken ribs and a broken jaw in an alleged on-pitch bashing has been charged with assaulting a woman.
Khodr Ahmad Yaghi, 45, was attacked shortly after the full-time whistle was blown at an amateur football match at Padstow Park, south-west Sydney, on May 28.
His alleged assault at the hands of Adam Abdallah, 25, sparked widespread outrage, with well-wishers raising nearly $17,000 for his reconstructive surgery.
The outcry led to a series of new safety measures to keep match officials safe.
But it has now emerged that Yaghi was charged with assault with bodily harm and recklessly grievous bodily harm after allegedly assaulting a woman around midnight on March 3 while working as a bouncer at the Railway Hotel in Hornsby, northern Sydney.
Khodr Ahmad Yaghi (pictured) has been charged with assaulting a woman while working as a bouncer at a pub in northern Sydney in the month before he was beaten on the field
Yaghi did not appear in court because he recently underwent reconstructive surgery on his jaw after it was broken in three places.
He will appear in Hornsby local court on June 7, according to court records obtained by Daily Mail Australia.
It comes just a day after Yaghi’s alleged assailant, Abdallah, was released on bail after a new video of the incident came to light showing the official throwing the first punch.
Footage shows the two men insulting each other as other players and officials try to calm them down.
Abdallah then circles around a group of players to confront Yaghi, who then appears to deliver the first blow before almost immediately falling to the ground where he is attacked.
Other players, spectators and match officials then pile on top of each other in an attempt to break up the pair.
Abdallah was charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and strife.
He has been in custody since May 1, but was released on bail in NSW High Court on Wednesday.
New footage of the alleged attack (depicted in an earlier video) is longer than the “shortened version” that the media first appeared with. It looks like Yaghi throws the first punch
Prosecutor did not oppose bail for amateur boxer Adam Abdallah (pictured) over new video shown to court on Wednesday
The prosecution said it was not opposed to his release because a new video of the incident had come to light since Abdallah was initially refused bail.
“It slightly changes the story of the shortened clip that the media had,” said a lawyer representing the director of the prosecution.
The bail conditions require the amateur boxer to remain in his home at all times unless accompanied by his mother or his wife, who is six months pregnant.
Judge Mark Ierace said the terms effectively restrict Abdallah to “house arrest.”
Since Abdallah has no previous criminal convictions aside from one traffic issue, Judge Ierace said the “alleged behavior seems rather strange.”