Sol brother jailed for assault

Sol Campbell's brother was jailed for a year today over a savage attack on a student who suggested the footballer was gay.

John Campbell, 34, felled Mark Golstein with a kick to the chest as he chatted on his mobile phone on a football pitch at the start of a training session. He then punched and kicked him so hard that 26-year-old Mr Golstein's jaw was broken in two places and he had football stud marks imprinted on his head.

The court heard his injuries would have been much worse but for the intervention of other players. John Campbell was convicted of grievous bodily harm at an earlier hearing at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

The trial heard that Mr Golstein and John Campbell were classmates on a sports science course at the University of East London at Stratford.

During a seminar the lecturer had asked Mr Golstein to name gay footballers. "I told him to my knowledge Laurent Blanc, formerly of Manchester United and France, and the lecturer in reply mentioned Justin Fashanu then asked me if I knew of any other gay footballers.

"I told him there were rumours about Sol Campbell which he had not heard before, then the lesson moved on."

Later John Campbell invited him to train at Clacton Football Club's Spotted Dog ground. Mr Golstein was on the phone trying to call a friend who had not turned up for training when he was attacked.

He said: "I just remember looking up at him as I fell backwards. That's all I remember until I regained consciousness. I don't remember anything else, it was like a split second.

"I was in a lot of pain. My head was hurting a lot. I felt dizzy and my mouth was hurting because my jaw had been broken in half.

"There was lots of blood on my clothes and my mouth was bleeding. I could taste it." He was taken to hospital where he had two steel plates fitted in his jaw. "For the first few days I couldn't eat anything so I had to drink through a straw and was on a drip," he said.

Apart from naming gay footballers, the only other reason Campbell might have attacked him was out of jealousy, said Mr Golstein. "I'm one of the top students in class in terms of grades and I got on very well with everyone on the course," he said. "I'm outgoing, while he was more introvert."

Asked whether he had any hostile feelings towards former Tottenham Hotspur star Sol Campbell, Mr Golstein replied: "It's no secret I'm a Spurs fan, so when he went to Arsenal I didn't like it much. But neither did all the other Tottenham fans." John Campbell, of Manor Park, had pleaded not guilty pleading self defence.

Sol and John come from a family of 12 children brought up in the East End. Sol, who now earns £5 million a year with Arsenal, had a 10-month relationship with society designer Kelly Hoppen, 14 years his senior. They remain good friends. He has also dated pop star Dido and tennis ace Martina Hingis.