Former Cardiff City footballer found guilty of stabbing man in back

A former Cardiff City footballer has been found guilty of stabbing a man in the back.

Ibrahim Meite, 25, who also played for League Two side Crawley Town, was accused of stabbing Rio Amos, 24, in Putney, south London, on the morning of September 12 2019.

During a trial at Kingston Crown Court, prosecutor Max Hardy said it was "unlikely this was a chance passing" when Meite encountered Amos after driving his white Mercedes to the "quiet residential street" with Leon Hughes, 33, in the front passenger seat.

He told the court that CCTV footage showed the pair getting out of the car and Meite engaging Amos in conversation, "moving from side to side" before he "sidles around his back".

Mr Hardy said Meite stabbed Amos in the back, "catching him unawares" while his "attention was split between the two men".

Amos was said to have then produced a larger blade and stabbed Meite after he fell over while running from the scene, the court heard.

The footballer told the court he never had a knife and only intended to punch Amos "to wind him".

Meite added he had come across Amos by chance when driving with Hughes and wanted to "clear the air" after "a dispute" involving a girl in a nightclub which ended in "pushing and shoving".

Both of the injured men were treated at St George's Hospital.

After several days of deliberations, on Wednesday the jury found Meite, of Roehampton, south-west London, guilty of wounding with intent, an alternative charge of unlawful wounding and possession of a knife.

Amos, of Wandsworth, south-west London, was found not guilty of wounding with intent and a verdict was not reached on unlawful wounding, leading to the jury being discharged.

Hughes, of Merton, south-west London, who was accused of helping the footballer carry out an attack, was found guilty of unlawful wounding and not guilty of wounding with intent, possession of a knife and intending to pervert the course of justice.

A mention hearing is due to take place on February 25. Meite and Hughes will be sentenced at a later date.