A BASKETBALL star ended up in court after throwing chocolate bars, cakes and chewing gum around at a petrol station.
Manchester Magic player Liam Johnson, 20, had suffered a 'moment of madness' after he swore at a cashier who asked him to pay for his fuel, a court heard.
Magistrates were told Johnson - who has been capped for England at junior level and is viewed as a rising star - grabbed chocolate bars and cakes off the shelves and threw them about.
He also hurled packets of chewing gum inside the service station on Princess Road, Chorlton.
When he was arrested, three months later, he was carrying a knife.
Weapon
He told police the weapon was for his own protection.
Johnson pleaded guilty to criminal damage and possessing a knife.
He was ordered to pay the garage £50 compensation, £85 court costs and do 100 hours of unpaid community work.
Johnson, of Avebury Road, Wythenshawe, told the court after admitting the charges: "I am terribly sorry for what I did.
"I have learned my lesson the hard way."
Paul Mitchell, prosecuting, said Johnson swore at the cashier after being asked to pay for fuel and then refused to calm down.
Simon Legg, defending, said Johnson claimed the cashier was rude and had threatened to tell police that he hadn't paid for his fuel.
Frustrated
Mr Legg said: "He became frustrated and things got out of hand and it led to unacceptable behaviour."
Johnson, who is 6ft and plays the guard position, has risen through the junior ranks to play for Magic.
A spokesman for Magic said it was unlikely that he would be disciplined by the club.
The spokesman said: "He has been dealt with through the courts.
"There is no further comment to make."
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Basketball star threw cake in fuel row
October 22, 2009
Manchester Magic player Liam Johnson, 20, had suffered a 'moment of madness'.
Showing comments 1 to 21 and replies | View All
Piccadilly Dog, Beswick (22/10/2009 at 14:42)
bubbob, manchester (22/10/2009 at 14:51)
A nobody who most wouldnt recognise if he walked into them.
Local lad, outsidethebox (22/10/2009 at 14:55)
Seemingly Ignored, Heald Green (22/10/2009 at 14:59)
Guten Tag, Manchester (22/10/2009 at 15:01)
Sarcastion Nastyface (22/10/2009 at 15:18)
Oh! He's a "rising star", so his blossoming career mustn't be jeopardised.
Get him in the slammer. He's a worthless NOTHING.
A Singleton, Gorton (22/10/2009 at 15:26)
He's a household name ... in his own household.
fergiza, rse (22/10/2009 at 16:06)
MJR, Manchester (22/10/2009 at 18:32)
To quote the club's website on their conduct policy for players: "Must conduct themselves in a respectful manner at all times and never do anything, on or off the floor, to bring discredit to the Club."
To those idiots who think Magic doesn't get any press and that this player in now the most famous player you should go to the sport section of this site and to the basketball section to find over 100 articles on the team, during season there are at least one a week.
The most famous player to play for the magic is John Amaechi the former NBA player who put his own money into the building from which the Manchester magic runs its operations.
The Manchester Magic have a number of coaches of work within the schools of Greater Manchester to promote sport, Mr Johnson is not one of these coaches, the highly successful programme is the premier development programme in the UK in developing young basketball players a lot of whom come from a similar back to that of Mr Johnson, one of crime or troubled youth, the club is their to help these individual to get away from such live styles and in the case of Mr Johnson they have clearly failed to get him totally away from that mindset which has lead to this unfortunate situation whereby the club's reputation has been jeopardised by the mindless actions of one of its fringe players of the senior team.
I feel deeply offended by a number of comments that have been made regarding the club, if you don't know what you are talking about keep your mouths shut. Mr Johnson is the one who is in the wrong, the MEN has misquoted the club here and people have pounced on the club. The club has done wonders for thousands of kids from the area and has turned a number of kids from crime or troubled upbringings into potential stars of the sport, prime examples of which can be found in the video on this site: www.amaechibasketball.com/home.htm
Andanotherthing, Mcr (22/10/2009 at 19:10)
MJR, Manchester (22/10/2009 at 20:52)
If everybody who ever lost their temper or carried a knife got sent to prison, the streets would be empty.
As for those claiming that Johnson is a "nobody", can anybody here name me ANY famous British basketball players? The truth is, basketball in this country gets very little publicity because it is badly organized and poorly run (anybody heard of the BBL either?); this kind of publicity only makes it more difficult for the sport to gain the credibility it deserves.
Mrs Jammy, Sitting on the settee (22/10/2009 at 21:47)
R.Blackmore Esq, Tameside (23/10/2009 at 01:17)
Dont make me laugh !!!!, he behaved like a damm baby throwing its rattle out of its pram !!!! and while we are at it ... whatever happened to the mandatory jail term for people found in posession of an offensive weapon, ie; the knife ??????????????, he should be banged up for that alone !!!!!
fergiza, rse (23/10/2009 at 08:55)
The Man, Sat on a chair (23/10/2009 at 10:41)
Maby someone told him he couldn't have his cake and eat it.
RB B (23/10/2009 at 11:54)
Over eight years, it has grown into a regional centre of excellence for basketball but many people are still not aware of its achievements.
The community league program now attracts young players from as far afield as Bury, Macclesfield, Hyde, Rossendale, and Ellesmere Port who play weekly, competitive matches against teams of similar ages. Youngsters start to play while still at primary school and tend to arrive with little previous experience. As they progress the best will join the development programs and be encouraged to participate in the National League squads.
Each year, boys and girls from Manchester Magic’s youth teams prove themselves to be the best in the country. There is always a positive and supportive atmosphere. Liam has contributed to this club's success and will continue to benefit from their support. He is a fine player.
The Amaechi Centre was set up just eight years ago to provide opportunities for young people from our city to excel in one of the fastest growing sports in the UK. It provides a realistic alternative in a football mad city. I do not know of any other sports development unit in Manchester that can boast the amount of success that this basketball centre has achieved with local youngsters.
The Manchester Magic's sqaud is keen to take players from the training program in preference to American imports. They compete at the highest level. By 2012 you will be cheering on Magic players in the London Olympics Games.
Check out Magic at www.amaechibasketball.com and start supporting one of your city's most successful teams.
RB B (23/10/2009 at 12:26)
Youngsters start to play from primary school age and often arrive with little previous experience. The community league attracts young players from as far afield as Bury, Macclesfield, Hyde, Rossendale, and Ellesmere Port who play weekly, competitive matches against teams of similar ages. The strongest join the Magic development program and are encouraged to participate in National League squads.
Every year, boys and girls from Manchester Magic’s youth teams prove themselves to be the absolute best in the country.
The Amaechi Centre was set up just eight years ago to provide opportunities for young people from our city to excel in one of the fastest growing sports in the UK. It provides a realistic alternative for a football mad city. I don’t know of any other sports unit in Manchester that has achieved so much success so quickly with local boys and girls. In just eight years, it has grown into a regional centre of excellence for basketball and proved itself to have the strongest development program in the country. It attracts hundreds of players every week and it encourages fair play, support and mutual respect at all levels.
Liam will know that on this occasion he has let the centre down but he has also contributed much to promote its success. He is a fine player. The Amaechi Basketball Centre was established to offer inner city children a chance to achieve and develop a new skill. It deserves all of our support.
citycentre, manchester (23/10/2009 at 12:55)
mollie campbell (23/10/2009 at 22:15)
And as for the people who are saying bad things about our club, our club is an amazing place, and lots of hard work and effort has gone into it maybe we don't get much publicity but that is because our country is so narrow minded about sport. Everybody in this club deserves full credit because there are thousands of people competing in this sport and we are one of the best clubs in England. If this club hadn't of been there i would of pobably been out on the streets so our club does a lot more good than bad, So can everyone please stop being childish and grow up!
MC, 14, Rossendale
thoughtful, East of Manchester (25/10/2009 at 21:39)
As for the story to me it makes little sense, surely someone doesn't go off the rails simply because they're asked to pay for fuel? There must be something more to this which hasn't been reported?
Luke Jameson (30/10/2009 at 01:49)