Ace Hotel Shoreditch attack: Lewis Beard jailed for pushing Paul Gascoigne down the stairs

A man has been jailed for assaulting former footballer Paul Gascoigne in the Ace Hotel, Shoreditch.

Former England footballer Paul Gascoigne who was taken to hospital after a fight at the Ace Hotel in Shoreditch (Photo: Rui Vieira/ PA) - Credit: PA Wire/PA Images

Lewis Beard, 27 of The Grove, Uxbridge was ordered to pay £7,800 in compensation to “Gazza” and sentenced to 23 weeks imprisonment at Stratford Magistrates’ Court on Friday.

Beard who initially pleaded not guilty to the offence at a previous hearing but subsequently changed his plea, also had to pay £650 in court costs.

Gascoigne claimed on Twitter he was left with a fractured skull and two broken fingers after being “kicked down the stairs” at the hotel in Shoreditch High Street on December 27.

Det Const Lee Jackson, from Hackney CID, said: “The victim required hospital treatment after he was knocked down some stairs at the hotel by Beard.

“Despite initially denying the assault, he had no option but to plead guilty. The custodial sentence passed on by the courts shows that violent behaviour will not be tolerated.”

Beard was arrested on January 13 on suspicion of actual bodily harm, and was charged with assault by beating on May 12.