Soccer star Ronnie Mauge today told a jury his

Soccer star Ronnie Mauge today told a jury his former
girlfriend accused him of beating her up because ‘she is hard and
vindictive.

‘
Bury favourite Mauge, 24, is accused of attacking
Deborah Simon in a jealous fit when he discovered she had another
man.

And the prosecution claim he forced her to reveal the
name of boyfriend Mr Mark Francis, then drove to her house with
three friends, equipped with a machete and firearms.

But today Mauge said he merely pushed Miss Simon, 24,
when she tried to grab him by the throat during a row when they
were alone at a friend’s flat.

Miss Simon had taunted him over the way he treated their
young daughter April, smartly dressed Mauge told the court.

‘Deborah said that her boyfriend said I wasn’t a good
father and I didn’t deserve to see April again.

‘My only concern was for my daughter.

I confronted Mark
Francis on the phone and he said she was a liar.

‘When I asked her she said he was a liar.

‘I wanted to ask him in front of Deborah why he had said
these things about me.

He asked me to call round.

‘
Mauge admitted that he took Miss Simon to Mr Francis’s
flat with three pals, but told the jury they were not armed.

‘They said we had guns, that we had a machete, I’m suprised
they didn’t say we had hand grenades,’ quipped the softly spoken
midfielder.

Mauge said after a short and fairly good natured
conversation with Mr Francis at his Dalston, E London home, Miss
Simon walked off and the pals also left.

Asked by prosecutor Mr James Lawson why Miss Simon
should lie, Mauge replied: ‘Because Deborah is hard and
vindictive.

‘I had no reason to be jealous.

I had been going out
with Suzanne for five weeks before.

‘
The footballer added he knew nothing of a meeting Mr
Francis allegedly had with the Bury chairman.

In a police statement Mr Francis claimed he had
witnessed Mauge assault Miss Simon and saw the firearms.

But he told the court: ‘The whole statement was wrong’
– and had signed an affidavit to that effect in front of the
chairman and his solictor.

Mauge said on the day of the meeting he was recovering
from an injury at Lilleshaw soccer centre with England stars John
Barnes and Michael Thomas.

Mauge of Clifton Road, Hackney, E London denies false
imprisoment and causing actual bodily harm.

He and pal Clinton Davies, 24, of Thornby Road, Clapton
E.

London, plead not guilty to affray.

The trial continues tomorrow Tuesday
ENDS
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