Brothel owner claims boxer attacked him

Published on 27/09/2012 08:48

A SPANISH brothel owner has told a court how Scottish boxer Scott Harrison punched his front tooth out after attacking customers.

Paco Gonzalez said the former world champion attacked him as he tried to defend two 
Spaniards who Harrison allegedly assaulted inside the sex club with his cousins.

The three Scots waited outside and hit the pair with fists, feet, bottles and stones as they left to find an ambulance, the court in Malaga heard yesterday at the start of Harrison’s trial over the alleged assault in May 2007.

Mr Gonzalez told three judges tasked with deciding whether to convict the boxer and sentence him to up to six years in jail: “I’ve worked in the club scene for more than 30 years. I’ve seen many fights in my time, but never anything like what happened that night, with the level of complicity between those three attackers.

“It looked as if they were 
enjoying themselves as they kicked and punched their victims. I thought they were going to kill one of them.”

Pointing to Harrison, he added: “This man hit me and punched my tooth out.”

Prosecutors want Harrison, 35, from Cambuslang, jailed for two years for each of the three assaults he is being tried on.

He was arrested with cousins Edward and David McGill on 20 May, 2007, at a brothel called Oxigeno in Alhaurin el Grande near Malaga.

Harrison, who won his second comeback fight on Saturday in Glasgow after seven years out of the ring, was ordered to face trial alone after authorities failed to locate his cousins.

He arrived 15 minutes late for the start of yesterday’s trial – his first return to Spain since last year when he completed a 30-month prison sentence for a 2005 assault near Malaga.

Harrison, wearing a grey suit and black shirt, gave evidence first. He said: “I didn’t see anything happen inside the club, I didn’t hit any of the three Spanish men and I wasn’t kicked out.

“All I tried to do was escape when people I’ve never met before started throwing bottles at us for reasons I didn’t know. I suffered an injury to my nose, and one of my cousins a broken arm. I’ve no idea how the men who claim we attacked them suffered their injuries.”

Alleged victim Salvador Jimenez, a 39-year-old construction worker, was off work for 
77 days with injuries.

He told the court one of 
Harrison’s cousins hit him over the head with an ashtray in an unprovoked attack before his relatives attacked him and his friend Rafael Sainz.

He said: “The owner asked them to leave. I wanted to call police and an ambulance, but when I left the club with Rafael they were waiting outside the front door. They punched and kicked us and attacked the owner when he intervened.”

Asked by lead judge Julian Cruz if Harrison had been among those who attacked him, he replied: “Yes, with several kicks and punches.”

Harrison’s defence lawyer called for his client’s acquittal in his closing speech, insisting: “The truth is not being told in this case.”

Judges are expected to return their verdict next month.