While he will still face the charge of Affray, Liverpool and England International Steven Gerrard has had an Assault charge dropped after appearing before the North Sefton magistrates court over the December 29th incident.

Via Guardian

The charges relate to an incident at the Lounge Inn a few hundred yards away from the court building in the town centre in the early hours of 29 December last year. Gerrard had been in the bar with friends celebrating Liverpool’s 5-1 defeat of Newcastle United earlier in the day, which had strengthened the club’s bid to win its first league title since 1990.

Businessman Marcus McGee, 34, a father of two children, suffered a broken tooth and cuts to the face during a melee at the nightclub.

At a previous hearing Gerrard, who spent more than 12 hours in custody after being arrested near the Lounge Inn, indicated he would be pleading not guilty.

Today the 28-year-old spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth during his appearance in the wood-panelled art deco courtroom.

The maximum sentence for affray, which is to use or threaten unlawful violence such as to cause a reasonable person to fear for their safety, is three years in prison.

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