A man has pleaded guilty to attacking former Leeds Rhinos academy player Matthew Syron, leaving the latter blinded following the attack.
Gareth Dean, 37, smashed a bottle in the face of Syron while in Leeds city centre bar, Revolucion de Cuba, on 27 December.
Dean appeared at Leeds Crown Court via video-link yesterday, with the 37-year-old admitting one charge of grievous bodily harm. He is due to be sentenced on 4 March.
Dean has previous convictions for violence in 2010 and 2017 and could face a life sentence, Judge Tom Bayliss KC told him at the court hearing.
“You will understand that you are in very serious trouble as a result of your actions,” Bayliss said in court, as per the BBC.
“I don’t want you to be under any misapprehension as to the peril you’re in, in terms of sentencing.”
Syron moved to Australia in 2012 after a short spell in rugby league with Oldham – a move he made after coming through the Leeds academy.
Syron had previously told the BBC: “It has been dreadful, not just for me but for my family.
“It’s the worst possible thing that can happen to someone.
“This has brought me to my knees, it’s really put me in a bad place. It’s soul-destroying.”
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