Court hears from girlfriend of former Partick Thistle player accused of attacking her

A woman told a surgeon that her footballer boyfriend attacked her before being operated on for a broken wrist.

Lauren Smith, 22, claimed that former Patrick Thistle striker Jai Quitongo pushed her down stairs.

However, today at Glasgow Sheriff Court, Miss Smith told jurors that this was untrue, and she had fallen.

In evidence she claimed that she said he had pushed her because she was doped up on painkillers at the hospital.

Quitongo, 22, denies attacking partner Lauren Smith at her Glasgow home in December last year.

He is also accused of grabbing her wrists, seizing her neck and pushing her down stairs to her severe injury, permanent disfigurement and permanent impairment and acting in a threatening and abusive manner towards her.

The court heard the pair were at Sanctuary nightclub in Glasgow's west end, but got separated following an unrelated incident.

Miss Smith returned home to see Quitongo’s dad Jose waiting outside in his car to pick his son up.

She said: “I was annoyed as I thought Jai was coming back to my house."

Then Quitongo showed up and they got into a very loud argument in the middle of the street.

Miss Smith said: “I told Jai to go home.

“The next thing I can remember is Jai saying: ‘Your neighbours are watching. and I screamed that I didn’t care.

“He pulled me by the hood into the close.”

Miss Smith claimed she fell onto the ground after Quitongo had let go and she ran through the close.

She added: “I fell down the stairs at the close because I was drunk and I blanked out for a few seconds.

“I don’t know what caused me to fall

“Jai was running behind me and pulled me off the ground.”

Miss Smith said she landed on her wrists and was “helped” into her living room by Quitongo.

She added that the pain was the worst she’d ever felt and was screaming loudly.

Miss Smith’s neighbours arrived shortly after and spoke to Quitongo.

One of them drove her to Glasgow Royal Infirmary and called the police.

Jurors heard that before her operation, Miss Smith spoke to surgeons about what happened to her.

The surgeon's statement was read out in court and said: “The incident was a result of domestic abuse and her mother has been informed.”

Miss Smith denied giving the statement.

Prosecutor Lucy Adams asked if the surgeon made it up, Miss Smith replied: “I wouldn’t have said that, I was so emotional.

“I didn’t say that, I didn’t say anything about domestic abuse.”

The jury heard Miss Smith gave a police statement after surgery which also mentioned domestic abuse.

She told jurors that she was under medication and couldn’t remember making her statement.

Miss Smith added: “I couldn’t remember what happened, everyone was saying this must have happened but I don’t remember being in hospital.

“I was told by family and I knew that wasn’t right - this had all come from what people had told me.

“It was only when medication wore off, I remembered what happened.”

A doctor noted the following day that Miss Smith told him: “He pulled her by the neck and threw her down stairs.”

Quitongo was arrested by police and told not to contact or communicate with Miss Smith.

She told the court that she was “devastated” and said: “Jai is definitely not a threat to me, this was out of character for myself and Jai.

“We are still in a happy relationship.

“I can’t exaggerate enough that he has a successful career that he is very passionate about.”

The trial continues before Sheriff Lindsay Wood.

Quitongo is a former Hamilton Accies youth who has also played for Greenock Morton.

His most recent club was Iranian side Machine Sazi.

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