Ronnie Wallwork escapes jail, handed suspended prison sentence

Former Manchester United midfielder, Ronnie Wallwork has been handed a suspended prison sentence after admitting to assaulting a man who stepped on his white trainers. Wallwork was found guilty of beating Alan Mulholland, who sustained a fractured right eye socket. The incident took place in a pub in Droylsden, Greater Manchester, on December 22, 2019.

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Wallwork was sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment, suspended for 2 years, at a hearing at Minshull Street Crown Court, in Manchester, on Tuesday, after admitting the charges at an earlier hearing. In addition to the sentence, he was also ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work and to pay £500 to Mr Mulholland in compensation. The midfielder represented England at the under-20 level and joined Manchester United as a trainee in 1993. However, he failed to cement his place in the first team and was loaned to several clubs before joining West Bromwich in 2002. He appeared at the Bantams during the 2003-04 season and played seven games, scoring 4 goals. He then moved to Sheffield Wednesday in 2008 and made seven appearances.

David Gardner, 43, from Newton Heath, Manchester was also sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment, suspended for two years, on the same charges. Gardner was ordered to complete the rehabilitation programme and pay £1,000 to Mr Mulholland. It is understood that the incident took place after comments were made about Wallwork’s white trainers.

The CCTV footage showed three men having arguments across 'The Jam Works Bar' on Market Steet and then Gardner headbutting Mr Mulholland before Wallwork punching Mulholland several times. Wallwork was sentenced to 15 months of imprisonment in 2011 after he was caught selling parts of the stolen high-performance cars.