The footballer had told the court he never had a knife
Former Cardiff City footballer Ibrahim Meite has been found guilty of stabbing a man in the back.
The 25-year-old, who also played for League Two side Crawley Town, was accused of stabbing Rio Amos, 24, in Putney, south London, on September 12 2019.
Speaking at a trial at Kingston Crown Court, prosecutor Max Hardy said it was “unlikely this was a chance passing” when Meite came across Amos after driving his white Mercedes to the “quiet residential street” with Leon Hughes, 33, in the front passenger seat.
Mr Hardy told the court that CCTV footage showed the pair getting out of the car before Meite and Amos engaged in conversation, “moving from side to side” before he “sidles around his back”.
He stated that Meite stabbed Amos in the back, “catching him unaware” while his “attention was split between the two men”.
The court also heard that Amos produced a larger blade and stabbed Meite after he fell to the floor while running from the scene.
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The ex-Cardiff City footballer told the court he never had a knife and only intended to punch Amos “to wind him”.
Meite claimed that he encountered Amos by chance when driving in the area, adding that he wanted to “clear the air” after “a dispute” involving a woman in a nightclub which ended in “pushing and shoving”.
The two injured men were treated at St George’s Hospital after the incident.
On Wednesday, the jury found Meite, of Roehampton, south-west London, guilty of wounding with intent.
Amos, of Wandsworth, south-west London, was found not guilty of wounding with intent, while a verdict was not reached on unlawful wounding, leading to the jury being discharged.
Hughes, of Merton, south-west London, 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 set to take place on February 25 and Meite and Hughes will be sentenced at a later date.
If you are a victim knife crime, you can visit www.victimsupport.org.uk for support.
