17-07-2025
Semi-pro footballer kicked woman down stairs after drinker 'refused to apologise' for launching chair
A semi-professional footballer who left a woman seriously hurt after kicking her down the stairs of a bar is set to lose her NHS job.
Lois Greenwood launched an 'extremely forceful kick' at Chloe Finnigan after a row between their friends groups exploded.
The pair were both in the Barclay in Royton town centre.. Earlier in the evening, a stool had been thrown, which 'brushed' Ms Finnigan.
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It was said to have been thrown by a member of Greenwood's group, Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
Ms Finnigan suffered a fractured kneecap when the kick caused her to fall down the stairs as she tried to leave.
Greenwood, 25, a semi-professional footballer who held a 'responsible job' in the NHS, was hauled before the courts and handed a suspended prison sentence. The court heard is set to lose her job.
Prosecuting, Lisa Boocock said Ms Finnigan was out with friends to celebrate a birthday at the Barclay in Royton, Oldham, on November 18, 2023. She said that 'for reasons unknown', a man in Greenwood's group threw a stool which 'brushed' Ms Finnigan.
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She was not injured, but she was concerned as she suffers from brittle bone disease. Ms Finnigan's boyfriend went over to the group and asked the male to apologise.
'Rather than apologise, the other male started an argument,' Ms Boocock said. Ms Finnigan decided she would leave to 'calm matters'.
As she and her boyfriend were making their way down the stairs to leave, Greenwood and her boyfriend were coming up the stairs. An argument ensued between the men and there was a scuffle.
Greenwood, who was drunk, then kicked Ms Finnigan, causing her to fall down the stairs. The judge described it as a 'deliberately aimed, extremely forceful kick', carried out 'from behind'. She was 'immediately aware' she had been injured, but was able to get to a friend's house. The police were called in.
At hospital, Ms Greenwood was told she'd suffered a fractured kneecap. She had to wear a whole leg cast, from her ankle to her thigh.
In a statement, Ms Finnigan said that the attack had 'completely changed her life'. She was left unable to carry out basic tasks, and needed help going to the toilet.
'This injury has completely robbed me of my independence,' she said. Ms Finnigan said she had to undergo ten months of physiotherapy.
'Even now, I don't feel the same physically,' she added, also telling of the toll her ordeal has had on her mental health.
"I shouldn't have had to go through any of this in the first place,' she said.
Defending, Steven Sullivan said the incident had been 'impulsive' and 'spontaneous'. He noted that Greenwood had no previous convictions, and had not been in any further trouble since the attack.
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'She knows she can never right that wrong,' Mr Sullivan said. 'She knows she can never make up for what this complainant has suffered. She is genuinely upset by that.'
Mr Sullivan said Greenwood was 'appalled by her own actions'. 'She is somebody who will learn from this,' he added. He said that her work in the NHS, a career she 'loved and coveted', will now end as 'she is going to be dismissed from her employment'.
Sentencing, Judge Tina Landale said it was an 'isolated but appalling incident'.
She told the defendant: 'Lois Greenwood, you attacked Ms Finnigan as she was trying to leave the Barclays pizza restaurant after she had been caught by a stool that had been thrown. The impact upon Ms Finnigan has been severe, sustained and ongoing.
'It is far more than a fractured kneecap.' The judge said she was able to avoid sending Greenwood to prison, due to her previous good character, her low risk of reoffending and positive prospects for her rehabilitation.
Greenwood, of Alma Street, Radcliffe, was sentenced to 21 months in prison, suspended for two years, and was ordered to carry out 270 hours of unpaid work and complete ten rehabilitation activity requirement days. She pleaded guilty to one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
