Michael Spence: Ex-Brisbane Broncos NRL player and ex-Hells Angels bikie cleared of assault
>
The Footy star is acquitted in court of beating up a rioter who threatened him and his wife after police charged HIM instead of the driver who threw the first punch.
- Former NRL player Michael Spence cleared of assault
- Spence got into a fight with a driver over a road rage incident
A former soccer star has been acquitted of assaulting a man during a road rage incident after a court found he was acting in defense of his family and the driver’s evidence was unreliable.
Former NRL player Michael Kenneth Spence was cleared of assault causing actual bodily harm after he engaged in a brutal fistfight on March 4 last year with a driver near the Toormina Hotel in Coffs Harbour, on the coast. northern New South Wales.
The Coffs Harbor local court heard that Spence’s wife, Hayley, was driving the couple back to their home in Bonville when driver Jacub Scofield followed them.
Ms Spence told the court Monday that she stopped as soon as possible to allow Scofield to pass, but he made a U-turn and headed straight for the couple.
Fighting back tears, Ms Spence told the court that Scofield then circled his car three or four times before accelerating and narrowly dodging them.
Former NRL player Michael Spence has been cleared of assault as the court found he acted in defense of his family during a road rage incident on the Mid North Shore of New South Wales.
Scofield told the court that he would return to search the Spence family car.
However, Spence told the court that he was “scared” and got out of his car to protect his family.
“He skidded down the road and burned himself, skidded his car and headed straight for us, coming straight for our car,” Spence told the court, as reported by Coffs Coast Lawyer.
“I got out, I was pretty scared and I stood in front of the car.”
The court heard that Scofield delivered the first punch that narrowly missed Spence’s head.
Spence then retaliated, hitting Scofield “three or four times,” the court heard.
“I reacted and threw a few punches, the first two were pretty straight to the face,” he told the court.
Scofield told police he was beaten “up to 30 times”, in evidence later deemed unreliable by Magistrate Clare Farnan.
Photos provided to the court, which were taken at the Coffs Harbor police station the night of the incident, showed Scofield had blood on his face and shirt.
Scofield said he did not know who Spence was at the time of the fight.
The court heard Mr Spence and his wife were returning from a local hotel when Jacub Scofield followed them and then approached them and a fight ensued with Judge Clare Farnan who ruled that he retaliated in self-defense.
The incident occurred on March 4, 2022 in Bonville (pictured). Mr. Spence had an illustrious playing career for the Brisbane Broncos from 2010 to 2017 and even tried his hand at amateur boxing.
Justice Spence told the court that there were issues with Scofield’s reliability and therefore cast many doubts on his account.
As a result, Spence was found not guilty on the charge of assault causing actual bodily harm on Monday.
Spence had an illustrious playing career for the Brisbane Broncos from 2010 to 2017.
After his NRL career, he also had a brief stint in amateur boxing.
The former football star was also a sergeant-at-arms for the Hells Angels bikies.