FORMER Warrington Wolves star Anthony Gelling has been found not guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm on his ex-wife.

The 30-year-old was acquitted of the charge by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court this afternoon, Tuesday.

The panel of six men and six women took four hours and two minutes deliberating before reaching their verdict.

It comes less than 24 hours after he put in a man of the match performance for current club Leigh Centurions against rivals Wigan Warriors in the club’s first game in front of fans for 14 months.

A tearful Gelling was supported in court by Wire’s head of rugby operations Kylie Leuluai and former Wigan Warriors teammate Dan Sarginson.

During the three-day trial, jurors were told how Gelling took ‘angry pills’ – magnesium and zinc supplements which he took to ease joint pain – before punching his wife, Toni Mackey, in the face.

But he said that he only did so in self-defence as he feared he would be run over by the car she was reversing.

The domestic incident erupted between the pair at their Widnes home on Cronton Lane Mews before Warrington’s Super League game against St Helens on February 6 last year.

The court heard Ms Mackey got in her car to drive to Nando’s to get food when Gelling followed her out, stating that he needed to retrieve a pram from the boot so he could walk their baby to collect Ms Mackey’s older daughter from school.

Ms Mackey said that she would pick the child up from school and began to reverse out of the driveway, the trial heard.

Warrington Guardian: Liverpool Crown CourtLiverpool Crown Court (Image: Newsquest)

However, he then went to the rear of the Hyundai and unsuccessfully attempted to access the boot before opening the driver’s side door, punching his wife once in the face and removing the keys from the ignition, jurors were told.

The court heard that Ms Mackey attended Whiston Hospital in the early hours of February 7 due to the pain she was experiencing, and was found to have broken her nose and fractured an eye socket – having also suffered a chipped tooth.

She reported the incident to Cheshire Police the following day, and Gelling was arrested on February 9 after voluntarily attending a police station, the prosecution explained.

During the trial on Friday, Gelling, who was represented by Martine Snowdon, stated his actions were in ‘self-defence’, explaining that otherwise he feared he would be run over by the car she was reversing.

He said: “The car lurched backwards and got my right leg knocking me off balance. I hopped onto my left leg and put my foot out and yelled, ‘Stop.’

“I just panicked, there was a lot of adrenaline. I punched her. I just wanted to stop the car. I thought I was going to be run over.”

Asked by Miss Snowdon if he wanted to hurt her, he said, “Not at all. I wasn’t angry at the time. I was angry after the incident and angry at myself.”

He said he offered to get her an ambulance or take her to the doctors, but she did not want to go.

He said: “When I saw her face I was shocked. I said, ‘I’m sorry’.”

The New Zealand-born Cook Islands international took to the field for Wire during the 2020 season.

He has also played for Wigan, New Zealand Warriors and Widnes Vikings during his career.

In his post-match interview last night, Leigh coach John Duffy said of Gelling: “I don't want to talk about what’s going on with Anthony, but what I will say is he's a true professional.”