Andy Carroll's car torched at Kevin Nolan's home
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Andy Carroll bailed to live with Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan after being charged with assaulting ex-girlfriend
Leaving court: Newcastle's Andy Carroll
Newcastle striker Andy Carroll has been bailed to live with club captain Kevin Nolan after appearing in court charged with assaulting an ex-girlfriend.
Wearing jeans and a dark hooded top, the Newcastle United striker was driven away from Tynedale Magistrates' Court in Hexham, Northumberland, in a people carrier with blacked-out windows.
He was charged with assaulting Laurie Henderson, an ex-girlfriend, at her home in Ponteland, Northumberland, sometime after 4.30am on Sunday.
Following an hour-long hearing he was granted conditional bail to live with Nolan at his family home, also in Ponteland, a 15-minute walk from the complainant's address.
Magistrates agreed Carroll does not have to stay overnight at Mr Nolan's home when Newcastle are playing. The player was told he must not contact any prosecution witnesses.
Carroll, who gave his address as the Jesmond Dene Hotel, Newcastle, will deny the offence and claims self-defence, the court heard. The case was adjourned until January 10.
Carroll, 21, wears the club's famous number nine shirt and won plaudits for his early season form.
Housemates: Newcastle's Carroll (right) and Kevin Nolan (second left)
The striker had been touted for a place in Fabio Capello's England squad after starting this Premier League season in style with newly promoted Newcastle, particularly in hitting a hat-trick in his side's 6-0 thrashing of Aston Villa in August.
But Carroll has failed to hit the same heights since and found himself benched for the Magpies' recent clash away at Manchester City, leading Capello to look over him for last week's Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro.
A product of Newcastle's youth academy, Carroll put pen to paper on a new five-year deal with the club earlier this month.
The Gateshead-born forward returned to manager Chris Hughton's starting line-up for last Saturday's 2-2 draw with Wigan at St James' Park.
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Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll's car torched at Kevin Nolan's home
Damage: A security guard stands next to the burnt out Range Rover on Thursday
Attack: Andy Carroll's vehicle was parked outside Kevin Nolan's house, where he is staying
Keep him in sight: Carroll (left) in Newcastle training with Nolan
Andy Carroll had his brand new chrome-plated Range Rover torched in the driveway of Newcastle United team-mate Kevin Nolan's home.
The striker has been ordered to live with his captain while on bail over the alleged assault of an ex-girlfriend.
Nolan also had his garage door daubed with graffiti during the attack on his Northumberland home.
Carroll, 21, only recently bought the car - complete with gadgets such as a games console - after signing a new five-year contract at St James' Park.
Police were called after he and Nolan spotted the blazing vehicle on Wednesday night and firefighters arrived shortly after 7pm.
Security men stood guard outside the detached house in leafy Darras Hall, Northumberland, as forensic experts combed the scene for evidence.
Carroll's Range Rover, which was partially obscured behind parked cars and an ornamental stone garden fountain, looked badly fire damaged. Its bonnet was open and windows smashed.
A Northumbria Police patrol car blocked the entrance to the drive.
Nolan's graffiti-damaged garage door was covered with a sheet, beneath which the letters W I could be seen sprayed in black paint.
A Northumbria Police spokesman said: 'The fire was extinguished by the fire and rescue service and no one was injured. The garage door of the property was also vandalised.
'Police are appealing for anyone with information to contact them.'
It has been an eventful week for Carroll. He was arrested in the early hours of Sunday morning after police were called to a house in Ponteland where an 18-year-old had suffered head injuries.
His hearing at Hexham Magistrates’ Court was adjourned until January 10, with a condition of his bail that he lives with Nolan at the skipper’s home.
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tsk tsk tsk
The problem with English players, cannot behave!