AN ALBION fan has been handed a restraining order for hitting a steward after a last-minute goal against Crystal Palace.
Connor Gill celebrated Brighton and Hove Albion’s late equalizer against their rivals at the Amex Stadium on January 14 this year.
He remained standing in his seat in the north stand and became violent towards the stewards who asked him to sit down.
The stewards asked to see the 22-year-old’s match ticket and he refused, before attempting to exit the stadium.
After being stopped by a steward, Gill punched the steward twice in the face before running out of the lobby.
He was detained by police officers who arrested him on suspicion of assault.
While in custody, officers found Gill, a plumber, in possession of a bag of cocaine, and he was later arrested.
At Brighton Magistrates’ Court, Gill, of Waverley Crescent, Brighton, was sentenced to 40 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £96 and court costs of £85.
The court also imposed a three-year banning order, which prohibits him from attending football matches held in England and Wales.
It also bars him from attending England men’s football team matches and limits his ability to travel abroad when matches are taking place.
Sussex Police football constable Darren Balkham said: “Gill admitted he was intoxicated when the incident happened and was also in possession of a drug from class A.
“He carried out a nasty assault on the staff on match day after he was violent towards them and then tried to flee to avoid the consequences.
“While we appreciate that emotions can run high in football matches, there is no room for that kind of violence in our beautiful game.
“This case demonstrates that we will prosecute when fan behavior crosses the line.”
A spokesman for Brighton and Hove Albion said: ‘We welcome the verdict and thank Sussex Police and the court for their support in prosecuting the offender. This was an extremely serious offense and we take attacks on our staff very seriously.
“We have always made it very clear that we have a zero-tolerance policy towards verbal or physical abuse or assault by club staff, and that we will take very strong action against anyone responsible for such behaviour.
“So in addition to the sentence imposed by the court, he will also face an indefinite ban from all Brighton & Hove Albion home and away matches.
“Fortunately, the member of our staff who was assaulted was not seriously injured and has made a full recovery.”
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Source: www.theargus.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-05-13 14:32:31
