A professional footballer was yesterday found guilty of attacking a woman after her car bumped into the back of his vehicle.
Riccardo Calder, 22, kicked and punched the 24-year-old woman and also swung a shoe at her leaving her with “significant” injuries.
The Inverness Caledonian Thistle midfielder knew the victim and met her at a club on May 7 this year in the Kings Heath suburb of Birmingham.
He dropped her off at her car in the early hours of the morning and she began following him along the road.
However, he saw red after she collided with the back of his motor.
They both drove further along the road to a pub car park and when Calder, who came through the ranks at Aston Villa and also played for Doncaster Rovers and Dundee, approached her vehicle he began punching her several times through the open window.
When she got out of her car, he continued the attack by kicking her and swinging a shoe at the victim.
The “sustained” attack was recorded on a nearby CCTV camera.
Calder, who joined Caley Thistle after their relegation to the Championship in 2017, went on trial accused of assault at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court this week. He was found guilty of the attack yesterday and will be sentenced on December 4.
The court heard the victim suffered significant bruising to her eyes and face, a fracture to her thumb and a cut lip.
Following the hearing, Samantha Morgan, from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: “The assault has left the victim with significant injuries and as the defendant was known to the victim, identification was not an issue.
“The court did not accept that the defendant acted in self-defence due to the sustained attack evidenced by the CCTV.
“The clarity of the CCTV supported the CPS case which has resulted in a guilty verdict.”
Calder was part of the squad that won the Irn-Bru Cup in March of this year.
He has made 46 appearances for the Highland capital club, scoring three goals, and is under contract at the Caledonian Stadium until the end of the season. Calder started the 2-2 draw with Ross County in the Highland derby last weekend due to an injury to club captain Carl Tremarco.
Away from football he wrote and performed his own rap music, publishing a tribute earlier this year to former West Brom legend Cyrille Regis – formerly his agent – after he passed away in January.
Last night Graham Rae, chairman of Inverness Caledonian Thistle, declined to comment.
