Millionaire racing driver Eddie Irvine has been sentenced to six months in prison for a nightclub brawl in Milan over a woman.
Former Formula One legend Irvine, 48, pulled a glass on the son of the former mayor of Milan, and left him with visible injuries over his eye, the court ruled. He was found guilty of assault and battery.
The target of his attack, Gabriele Moratti, a renowned playboy, was also found guilty for assault and battery, having launched a hail of punches at Irvine, and was also handed a sentence of six months.
Under the Italian justice system both are unlikely to ever see the inside of a jail cell as they are automatically entitled to two appeals. In any case the statute of limitations on the crimes expires in 2015, after which the case will be dropped, unless all appeals have been heard.
The quarrel began over a text message sent by the former Ferrari driver to an ex girlfriend of Moratti, named Giorgia, witnesses told the court in Milan.
When Moratti entered the VIP area of Milan’s Hollywood nightclub, and came across eternal bachelor Irvine talking to the girl he had recently broken up with, he attacked him, punching him three times, a lawyer for Irvine told the court.
The Formula One champion, who now runs a property company, a shipping business and works for Virgin Media, claimed he was hit repeatedly from behind by Mr Moratti causing him to black out.
Giving evidence at an earlier hearing, the multi-millionaire racing driver said he believed Moratti ‘was jealous because I sometimes took his ex girlfriend out.
He told the court: ‘I had arrived at the club at about midnight and sat at a table in the VIP area. I was drinking a vodka lemonade and while I was sitting on the sofa talking to Giorgia I was struck with two or three punches by Moratti. I lost my balance and I fell. Someone tried to stop Moratti. I didn’t look back because I was afraid he would hit me in the face.’
Following the brawl, Irvine received threatening phone calls from one of Moratti’s associates in his Milan hotel room, he told the court.
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