Former England ace Hendrie declared bankrupt

Hendrie: Loved the highlife

Former England international footballer Lee Hendrie has been declared bankrupt after racking up debts of almost £200,000.

The one-time Aston Villa favourite, who was capped by England in 1998, failed to attend a hearing at the High Court in central London which resulted in HM Revenue and Customs lodging the bankruptcy petition.

The 34-year-old - who once held a £24,000 a week contract with Villa - is believed to be selling his mansion Finwood Lawn, in Rowington, Warwickshire, for £1.7 million, having paid just less than that in 2006.

Known for a penchant of buying fast cars, Hendrie "loved the high life" according to former Villa chairman Doug Ellis, and picked up a reputation for being hard to handle as a player after crashing his Porches on the M6 while racing to catch a plane on the way to a European cup tie.

In 2003, the talented midfielder was hit with a 12-month driving ban for being one-and-half times over the drink-driving limit, while his private life also made front-page news when it emerged that his marriage to childhood sweetheart Becky had fallen apart just hours after a lavish £60,000 ceremony which forced the couple to cancel a £16,000 honeymoon to Mauritius.

On discovering that he had a teenage mistress, Becky scratched swear words into the paintwork of his Jeep-style Porsche Cayenne - a car bought for over £60,000.

She later branded him a “drunken womaniser”.

Downing arrest compounds bad week for Liverpool

Downing: Arrested on suspicion of assault

England winger Stuart Downing has become the latest high-profile footballer to find himself in trouble following a night out, having been arrested on suspicion of assaulting an ex-girlfriend in a nightclub fracas.

The £15 million Liverpool star was held by police along with a 32-year-old woman – believed to be an ex-partner - following the incident  in the upmarket Middlesbrough suburb of Yarm.

 

A spokeswoman for Cleveland Police said: "The 27-year-old man and the 32-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of assault have now been released on police bail pending further inquiries. Inquiries into the incident are ongoing and there will be no further details released by police at this time." Liverpool have refused to comment.

Downing's arrest is the latest in a line of unsavoury incidents which have rocked Liverpool this season, and follows quickly on the heels of Uruguayan strike Luis Suarez receiving a high-profile eight-game ban for racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra .

On top of that, a 20-year-old Liverpool fan was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public-order involving Oldham's coloured defender Tom Adeyemi during an FA Cup tie.

Anti-racism groups believe that Liverpool's reaction to the Suárez affair - notably their sustained defence of their Uruguayan striker - has whipped up "a tribal fervour" which risks causing fans to react in a worrying manner.

Got a car to sell?

Bramble denies third sexual assault charge

Bramble: Facing Crown court trial

Sunderland star Titus Bramble is now facing a third charge of sexual assault!

The 30-year-old former Ipswich and Newcastle defender was already accused of indecently touching two women in separate incidents in the Teeside market town of Yarm in September. And, at Teesside Magistrates' Court, he was told an additional sexual assault charge relating to one of the existing complainants was to be added.

Bramble pleaded not guilty to the offences when he appeared the court, speaking only to confirm his name and address and enter a not guilty plea to the third charge.

One good piece of news for Bramble was that he was formally cleared of a charge of urinating in a public place after the prosecution said it was no longer being pursued.

After electing for trial by jury at Teesside Crown Court, Bramble has been released on unconditional bail until a date yet to confirmed.

Speaking after the hearing, Phil Smith, from Tuckers Solicitors in London, said: “These false charges, based on poor quality and contradictory evidence, are – and have always been – fervently denied.

“Titus is very much looking forward to having the opportunity to clear his name at his trial in the Crown Court.”

Bramble hit the news early last year when he was forced to deny on his Twitter account scurrilous rumours that he had been killed in a car crash.