Ex-New Zealand footballer Luke Naughton convicted over ‘nasty’ Cardiff nightclub assault

Luke Naughton, pictured here celebrating a New Zealander Under 21 win over Australia in 2001, has admitted a Cardiff nightclub assault. Photo / File

A former New Zealand goalkeeper has been convicted of a “nasty” assault in a Welsh nightclub.

Luke Naughton, a 42-year-old who once trialled with European soccer giants Bayern Munich and has played semi-professional in New Zealand, Germany and England, left his victim with a broken nose, broken tooth, and fractured cheek in the unprovoked attack.

A Cardiff Crown Court heard how the ex-New Zealand under-20s player had visited Wales in October 30, 2021 to watch the All Blacks at Millennium Stadium.

Naughton later went to Retro nightclub when he approached a random woman, WalesOnline reports.

He came into contact with her back and rested his chin on her shoulder.

The touching was momentary, the news site reports, but the woman told Naughton that she did not want to be touched.

One of her male friends saw the incident and could see she was uncomfortable.

They exchanged words, WalesOnline reported the prosecutor saying, before Naughton headbutted him to the ground and then got on top of him and punched the victim to the face.

Naughton, who now lives in London, was charged and later pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault.

The male victim told the court: “I woke up with blurred vision the next day. The experience has been horrifying for me and those closest to me. I have never been involved in an act of violence and I never expected something like this to happen. I felt low for a number of weeks.”

Naughton’s lawyer said the happily-married father-of-two had been “terribly in drink” and was left “mortified” by his action, WalesOnline reports.

Recorder Christopher Felstead called it a “nasty assault” and sentenced Naughton to six months’ imprisonment suspended for 12 months and ordered him to carry out 120 hours unpaid work and to pay NZ$3800 in compensation.