Nicholas Williams Sentenced to 1 Year in Prison for Breaking Rival's Leg in Game

Nicholas Williams of Welsh National League Division One side Cefn Albion has been sentenced to a year in prison for grievous bodily harm after deliberately breaking an opponent's leg in a "revenge attack."

According to Aaron West of Fox Sports, Williams received the punishment following an incident last October in which he broke AFC Brynford player Andrew Barlow's leg, leaving his toes "touching his knee."

The match was abandoned following the foul.

Williams, 26, made the tackle 30 minutes into the game. He was allegedly angry with Barlow after the pair came together in a challenge and had made his feelings known to referee Mark Stokes prior to the "brutal tackle."

Williams described it as a "freak accident," adding, "I just gave it the extra bit more and his leg snapped."

Barlow said of the incident:

He was getting angry. He was shouting at me... I saw Williams coming towards me from behind on my right... I tried to jump out of the way. I couldn't get high enough out of the challenge. He's caught me with his studs in the middle of my shin. All I remember was looking up and seeing my leg flopping and going into the ground.

Stokes believed Williams went into the challenge with the intention of hurting Barlow, who hasn't yet returned to work and required rods in his leg after breaking both his tibia and fibula, per the BBC.

The jury at Caernarfon Crown Court unanimously agreed, and Williams subsequently received his 12-month sentence from the judge.