FORMER Chester City Football Club owner Stephen Vaughan has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm after a police officer was allegedly attacked in a Wirral pub.

Merseyside Police have confirmed that Mr Vaughan, his 25-year-old son – also called Stephen – and Paul Garner, 29, from Millfield, Neston, have all been charged with Section 18 assaults in connection with the incident.

A 28-year-old police officer was treated for a fractured cheekbone after allegedly being struck at the Jug and Bottle hotel in Heswall, Wirral, on April 4.

He had been called to investigate reports of a disturbance while on duty in the area.

The Vaughans, of Thurstaston Road, Heswall, and Garner, will appear at Wirral Magistrates’ Court, on Chester Road, Birkenhead, on May 26.

Stephen Vaughan, 48, took over as chairman and majority shareholder of Chester City FC in 2001, but the club was wound up in March over mounting debts and unpaid bills.

Chester Fans United (CFU) have now secured a deal with the owners of the Deva Stadium, Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC), to resurrect Chester and are now waiting on a decision from the Football League.

Stephen Vaughan junior is a former captain of the club who now plays for Liverpool club Marine FC.