West Ham reject Carroll assualt claims

West Ham United have denied allegations on-loan striker Andy Carroll assaulted a photographer while on a club trip in Dublin.

The photographer, Paddy Cummins, has alleged Carroll attacked him after leaving a burger bar in the early hours of Monday morning.

The squad, including Carroll, flew out to the Irish capital on Saturday following the team’s 3-1 win over Chelsea, with the incident said to have occurred while the striker was about to board a rickshaw back to the team hotel.

It is alleged Cummins asked to take photos of Carroll, a request that was granted, but was ushered away by club security when he continued to take snaps at close proximity.

A West Ham spokesman said Carroll had been fully cooperative with the photographer and denied any incident between the pair had occurred.

“Andy Carroll was in Dublin as part of a social trip with full permission of the management team,” the spokesman said.

“Andy agreed to have a number of pictures taken at the request of a photographer, who was waiting on the street.

“Despite this, the photographer then carried on taking photos in the close proximity of Andy and was politely asked to stop by the private security team working on the trip.

“When he then continued taking more photos he was restrained by the security team for Andy’s safety.

“Eyewitnesses state at no point was there any physical contact between Andy and the photographer.”

The squad flew back to London on Monday night in preparation for Sunday’s Premier League clash with Carroll’s parent club Liverpool.