Jesse Ryder assault accused appear in court

Zeenews Sports Bureau

Wellington: Two men accused of assaulting New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder appeared in a Christchurch court on Thursday. A 37-year-old male has been charged with assaulting Ryder and with reckless disregard for safety of others. His 20-year-old nephew faces two charges of assault. Both of them have been remanded until April 18 with the judge granting their lawyer’s name suppression request. Their lawyer Jonathan Eaton dismissed the reports published in the media terming them as "wildly inaccurate and misleading" saying Ryder did not suffer a fractured skull and punctured lung in the assault. Ryder returned home on Wednesday from hospital almost a week after he was assaulted by a group of men outside a bar which left the cricketer with critical head injuries. Eaton claims that Ryder shared drinks with the two men accused of the assault in a "highly convivial" atmosphere. With PTI