[LukeB]

Spoiler:

X FACTOR star Sam Callahan has told how he felt “let down” by show bosses after he suffered a brutal assault on tour.

Sam, then 19, was left spitting blood after Rough Copy singer Kazeem Ajobe punched his jaw so hard the bone dislocated and smashed into his mouth.

He also suffered two black eyes and heavy bruising as the convicted thug grabbed him in a headlock and rained blows on his head.

Sam claims bosses at Simon Cowell’s production company Syco interrogated him about the attack before a show at Newcastle’s Metro Radio Arena. The police were not called.

Spoiler:

And just hours after chief Mark Brittain, who has worked with Cowell since 2011, promised Sam’s dad his son would be safe, thug Kazeem was able to corner him again, but there was no further harm.

Sam, now 21 and a National Bullying Helpline ambassador, spoke out after millions last night saw three X Factor hopefuls, including Louisa Johnson, 17, battle it out in the final.

He told The Sun on Sunday: “Before Kaz turned on me, I thought we were friends just joking around. All I did was flick an empty sweet wrapper at him, and he switched.

“He flew at me like an animal. His first punch, on the left side of my face, cracked my jaw so loudly the people in the next room heard it.

“The bone that attached my jaw to my ear popped out, splitting the inside of my mouth, and then he grabbed me in a headlock and pummelled my face.

“He threw seven or eight punches. All I saw was his fist flying. Then he grabbed me hard around my neck, leaving me with nasty scratches.”

Sam went on: “My mouth was full of blood, my ears were ringing and my face was black and blue.

“The pain was awful and I felt like I’d been hit by a huge truck.

“I was really shaken up. But despite what happened, I didn’t want to let Kaz win, and I was determined to perform that night.

“The next day I was taken to A&E early with a cap and sunglasses on and my coat collar pulled up so no one would recognise me.”

the attack early last year Syco chiefs held their own investigation, quizzing witnesses including Sam’s then girlfriend Tamera Foster, Luke Friend and Hannah Barrett.

Sam said: “I was the one who had been beaten up and taken to hospital. All they had to do was look at my face.

“My eyes were blacked, I was bruised and my jaw was so swollen I couldn’t shut my mouth.

“The way I looked would have bothered anyone.

“At that point I kept quiet, but I felt like I couldn’t trust anyone else at Syco any longer. My dad had spoken to Syco bosses after the assault and told them how upset he was the police hadn’t been called immediately.

“But the person he spoke to was under the impression that I had been asked if I wanted the police involved, and had said no.

“They had also promised my dad that Kaz would be kept away.

“But a few hours after the assault, he was left alone and knocked on my hotel room door, begging me not to press charges.

“I felt like the bosses just saw me as disposable. I felt let down.”

After Syco chiefs completed their investigation, Kazeem, who has convictions for common assault and affray, was axed from the tour, leaving Rough Copy to sing as a duo.

Newspaper reports said the decision was put down to “fisticuffs” backstage, and Sam agreed not to take the matter any further.

But he told how the experience poisoned his final three weeks on the UK tour after the rest of the acts failed to support him as they feared doing so may harm their careers.

He said: “The other singers were already signed to a record deal with Syco or one of their associated labels, or hoping they might be.

“They were terrified of speaking out. I felt very isolated.” Sam said the “final insult” came when Rough Copy hosted their own party on the night of the final tour date in Birmingham.

He said: “I didn’t realise they were the hosts and when I turned up, Rough Copy, including Kaz and their families, were there.

“I felt uncomfortable. Syco’s security stepped in it was me they threw out. I went back to my hotel and cried for ages. I was in pieces.


Sam, who recently released charity EP Bigger Things, now admits the ITV show and tour were “a great stepping stone” for his music career.

But he warned parents to think twice about letting their teenagers enter, saying: “They should know what they are getting into. I think I’m quite a strong person, but thinking about what happened on the tour still upsets me now, and I know a lot of people my age who couldn’t have coped.

“I’ve seen X Factor this year and I’ve found it hard to watch Louisa. She’s so young and her emotions must be all over the place.”

Sam now gives talks to school-children and admitted: “I can’t tell them how to behave in the face of bullies if I’m not doing the same.”

Kazeem would have been facing a jail term of up to 18 months for assault if prosecuted, says a QC. Julian B Knowles said: “Because of his past convictions and the injuries were nasty, I think police would have charged him. Seven out of ten judges would’ve sent him to jail.”

A solicitor for Syco said: “Sam Callahan was spoken to, which was in order to find out what had happened. This was the correct course to take and resulted in Mr Ajobe being removed from the tour.”

I didnt know about this, i didn't like sam but i feel sorry for him reading this.