London's Southwark Crown Court heard that since the age of 17 the Jamaica international has found himself in the dock on no less than seven previous occasions involving 13 offences. They feature dishonesty, drink driving and other motoring offences, and violence against women.

Only one, receiving a stolen £30,000 BMW, resulted in a prison sentence – 18 months reduced to nine on appeal. Apart from some community penalties, the other punishments were fines.

King's first brush with the law was in December 1997 at Camberwell Youth Court when he was convicted of wounding another footballer. At the time he was playing for a local Dulwich side. His victim was part of a St Thomas's Hospital team.

Magistrates heard how he grabbed his opponent round the neck and, as the referee booked him, returned to the attack with a head-butt and a punch in the face, fracturing his cheekbone. He was given an 80-hour community order and ordered to pay £250 compensation.

Two years later, at Tower Bridge Magistrates' Court, he was fined a total of £240 for two counts of theft and two of fraudulently using a tax disc.

In 2002 he was brought before Camberwell Green Magistrates for driving with excess alcohol and while uninsured. He was fined £650, ordered to pay £40 costs and disqualified from driving for nine months.

A week later at Greenwich Magistrates' Court he received a six-month community rehabilitation order and was ordered to pay £100 compensation for criminal damage and attempting to obtain property by deception. Later that year, at Inner London Crown Court, he was jailed for receiving the BMW Cabriolet.

A year after that he was at Bow Street Magistrates' Court for two counts of common assault. The court heard how a cab driver had called police about a "disturbance" in Berwick Street, Soho. When officers arrived they saw King chasing two women along the road with a belt and buckle wrapped round his right fist.

One of them explained he had attacked them for "no apparent reason", punching her in the face and causing cuts and swelling. He was fined £1,000, and ordered to pay £500 compensation as well as £100 costs.

His last court appearance was in 2005, again at Bow Street, when he was convicted of threatening behaviour. This involved him approaching a woman near Leicester Square, and again for "no apparent reason" spat at her. He was fined £300, and ordered to pay £500 compensation and £55 costs.

i'm not sure what the problem is

he was just having a quiet night out

Jamaican international?

Didn't he tell the Reggaeboyz manager to "fuck his team and fuck his country" when he was disciplined for going out on the piss before a game

another sad sad story

word up

: I

D

seriously though.... PROPER wrongun. So many chances in the game and he throws them away. Prick

And you there will be clubs after him once his sentence is complete

sorry. which bit do you find sad?

the guy is clearly not very nice. he has been in Court fourteen times now, this despite being a multi-millionaire (his words, not mine; before punching the woman he reportedly said "I'm just out of your league. I'm a multimillionaire") and supposedly having everything anyone would want.

he was out celebrating his wife's pregnancy and ended up getting convicted for sexual assualt!!

When a slightly built university student shunned him, he lost his temper and in an outburst of "completely gratuitous violence" struck out, "smashing" her to the floor. His single clenched-fist blow was so powerful that two other revellers – one of them holding on to his arm – were also sent flying.

While bouncers moved in to restrain King, friends rushed to the aid of his victim. As she was helped to her feet, blood poured from her shattered nose.

It's a tough life being a millionare footballer

Poor fellow

Nah, he's finished as a top flight footballer. He only has himself to blame; as you rightly say, so many chances - yet he threw them all away.

: ]

D

This taken from Timesonline :

As the sentence was pronounced, several of King’s supporters swore at the judge and loudly accused him of “institutional racism”.

One, referring to the acquittal of the Liverpool captain for affray, shouted: “Steven Gerrard’s still walking the streets.” Another added: “Heil Hitler.”

And this from Guardian.co.uk :

Marlon King's agent has suggested the striker is ready to appeal against the 18-month prison sentence he was given yesterday, as well as his subsequent sacking by Wigan Athletic.

...the player's agent, Tony Finnegan, said plans for appeals against both his sentence and his sacking are in place. He told BBC Radio Five Live: "No one saw this coming in light of the evidence. He's very, very disappointed – because clearly, as he said in his evidence, it's mistaken identity. He didn't do that."

Finnegan expressed disappointment at Wigan's decision and the failure of the Professional Footballers' Association to support King, before questioning what might happen if the striker is released early. "There was a union that didn't seem to back him in the shape of Bobby Barnes this afternoon and the chairman of a professional football club that is going to say to everybody throughout Britain that this man will never play football again," he added.

"The chairman's got a choice. If the chairman, which is his right, decides to sack Marlon King under gross misconduct, he would have to put that in writing, first and foremost. Then he has a right of appeal to the Premier League, in writing.

"While the appeal process goes in, which will be on Monday, this lad could be out in two, three weeks, four weeks."

"If Wigan aren't successful in sacking this player and he comes out in three months' time and he wanted to be signed by another Premiership club, do Wigan allow him to go for nothing or do they seek a fee?"

Earlier Barnes, the PFA deputy chief executive, said King had brought the situation on himself. "I don't think anybody can deny that," he said. "But I think it's important to bear in mind footballers are not divorced from society."


Nice to see that King's agent has got his finger on the pulse of reality.

What a total and utter wanker. I hope he gets what is coming to him inside

keeping the "scumbag pro footballer" tradition alive and well.

i hope he gets raped in prison

repeatedly.

not strictly true

that West brom striker - whose name escapes me - killed someone with his car.... and now he's back at a 1st division club

it can and will happen

Lee Hughes

Lee Hughes, you mean?!?!

*he notices a very BIG elephant come into the room*

: ]

D