Son of Trevor Francis in court over shoe claims
The son of England football legend Trevor Francis stole designer goods including a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes from ex-Aston Villa star Lee Hendrie's home, a court heard has heard.
James Francis, aged 26, is also accused of stealing six souvenir football shirts, a set of golf clubs, sunglasses, a watch, and a Vertu mobile phone in the summer of 2011.
Warwick Crown Court heard yesterday how Francis broke into the one-bedroom cottage in the grounds of Mr Hendrie's £1.7 million six-bedroom mansion in Rowington, Warwickshire.
Mr Trevor Meegan, prosecuting, told the jury that two thumb-prints matching Francis' were found on a door panel and one on four pieces of torn cardboard found inside the cottage.
Mr Meegan said: "This case concerns a burglary of a small unoccupied cottage which was owned by a former professional footballer by the name of Lee Hendrie.
"The burglary occurred approximately two years ago and our case centres on the presence of two thumb-prints that were found at the scene of the crime."
Mr Meegan told the court the burglary occurred when Mr Hendrie and his wife Emma were on holiday in Majorca. The former Aston Villa and England midfielder found a large quantity of his property had been taken after returning home.
The court heard Mr Hendrie was renting the main part of his six-bedroom mansion, called Finwood Lawn, to another footballer in the period before the break-in.
But Mr Meegan told the jury the tenant didn't have access to the locked one-bedroom cottage.
Francis is regarded as a talented local footballer but has never shown the promise of his father's talent.
He denies burgling Mr Hendrie's home on a date between July 18 and August 3, 2011. The trial continues.
