On September 22, of last year, Marcus Maddison, 29, who started his career as a Newcastle youth team player and has since played for Charlton, Hull, and Peterborough, among other teams, broke the woman’s nose following a wild night out in Darlington.

He had earlier entered a guilty plea to a charge of grievous bodily harm without intent during a hearing on June 20. This morning, he was sentenced at Teesside Crown Court.

Prosecutor Robin Turton told the court during a hearing held last month that Maddison and a friend had left The Gate cocktail bar the night before the attack and had gone to a kebab shop at three in the morning before returning home.

The football player allegedly said, “F*** off, do not come near me you fat s***,” to the accused victim’s daughter as they were walking, according to the prosecutor. Another person shouted, “You f***** wait” to which the defendant replied, “You won’t f***** catch me.”

“Home Marcus, home” was what Madison’s friend kept telling the defendant throughout the exchange, according to Mr. Turton, and later on down the street. He witnessed the defendant tossing his chips, some of which struck the victim, and heard the defendant threaten to “pelt these cheesy chips at you if you come near me.”

The court heard that Maddison, who left Darlington FC by mutual consent less than a month after the incident, fell over as he was throwing his food before getting up and punching the woman in the face. Mr Turton said his friend heard a “distinctive pop sound” as the victim fell to the ground.

The victim had been struck with “devastating force,” according to recorder Paul Reid, who described the attack as “spontaneous, albeit horrific in its nature.” A “knuckle duster” was compared to Maddison’s “oversized ring” on his right fist, the court was informed.

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from

The new football season is here, and Sky Sports is the only place to catch all the action with 500 live games to watch, plus access to eight exclusive channels featuring boxing, cricket, golf, F1, NFL, and NBA.

Maddison was then accused of fleeing the scene before police officers on Duke Street spotted the woman on the floor holding her face. Mr Turton said: “There was a steady stream of blood coming from what appeared to be a broken nose. She was in the doorway of a shop in Duke Street with her daughter. She was unable to speak due to her injuries.”

The victim was brought to Darlington Memorial Hospital, according to the court, where a CT scan indicated multiple mid-facial bone fractures. The victim said in a video interview that she still experiences headaches, dizziness spells, blackouts, and numbness in her teeth due to sinus damage.

Following the initial hearing, Darlington FC released the following statement: “The club were made aware of an alleged incident and conducted an immediate disciplinary investigation,” the statement from Darlington FC read.

“The club and the concerned player decided to mutually end his contract at that point with immediate effect.

“Darlington FC is a fan-owned team that does not tolerate any form of abuse, violence, or discrimination. It would be inappropriate for DFC to comment further at this time.”