French prosecutors have requested a five or six month suspended sentence for Steffon Armitage after the Toulon back-row appeared in court on Tuesday accused of assault during a night out last year.
Armitage, who could still feature in England’s World Cup squad later this year after holding talks with coach Stuart Lancaster, is alleged to have struck a 31-year-old man on 13 December in a Toulon restaurant after an evening drinking with teammates following the 23-8 victory over Leicester in the European Champions Cup. The argument resulted in the victim being unable to work for 45 days.
In court, Armitage – last season’s European Player of the Year – reiterated his defence that he did not remember assaulting anyone but apologised for being drunk in a public place.
“I contest the charges against me. I do not remember anything,” he said.
“I was really drunk and feel that I unintentionally fell on the victim, thus injuring him but without doing it intentionally.
“One thing is for certain, I very much regret being drunk; I’m a professional player and as such must set an example.”
That claim was contradicted by the victim’s lawyer Virginie Pin, however, who stated that Armitage had approached her client after the incident asking him not to file a complaint. She also requested that the 29-year-old be fined €5,000 (£3,700) if he is found guilty but the court reserved judgement until 24 February.
Armitage held talks with Lancaster at the end of last year to discuss the possibility of calling him for this year’s World Cup, with Bath at one stage interested in taking him on a season-long loan. However, the head coach is known to demand the highest standards of behaviour on and off the field and has so far resisted picking Armitage under the “exceptional circumstances” clause governing France-based players.
Armitage has made five appearances for his country but has not been selected since he moved to Toulon from London Irish in 2011.
