Football fan banned from England games for five years

A football fan who threw a bottle into a crowd amid some of the worst disorder witnessed at Euro 2016 has been banned from attending England fixtures for five years.

Mark Ridley, 54, of Back Lane, Claypole, was yesterday handed a football banning order at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court.

Footage was shown to the court of a shirtless Ridley among crowds of England fans in Marseille on June 11 last year.

Footage from three viedos was combined into one clip and shown in court.

Ridley was seen throwing a bottle into a crowd in part of the footage, holding the same bottle in another part and running into the street in a third.

One of the original videos had been uploaded to YouTube.

June 11 saw large-scale clashes between England and Russia fans ahead of a 1-1 draw.

Ridley had travelled to watch the game with the England Supporters Club.

Prosecutor Mr Matt Greene said the disorder that day was the worst day of football violence police had ever seen.

Mr Greene said: “You have got an individual who is willing to throw a dangerous object into a crowd of people with no telling what danger it could cause to someone.

“He is a grown man and knows the risks of throwing a bottle into a crowd.”

Mr Greene said there were people who were still recovering from injuries they suffered as a result of violence and disorder on that day.

At previous hearings, Ridley denied being the fan shown in the footage throwing the bottle.

After admitting it was him, he contested whether a football banning order should be issued.

'There is no reason he had to be involved'

Mr Ian Carter, defending, said Ridley had no previous convictions and had not come to the attention of police before.

He had attended England games in Slovenia, Germany and Scotland since the Russia fixture and had not been involved in any trouble.

Ridley had been attending England games for more than 20 years.

Mr Carter said Ridley would be losing something he saw as a hobby.

District judge Mr Tim Devas said by handing Ridley a football banning order he would be helping to prevent violence or disorder at football matches in the future, as the sentence would act as a deterrent.

“If Mr Ridley has never been involved before or since, it makes it all the more shocking that he was involved, as he clearly was on that June day last year,” the judge said.

“The message that will go out loud and clear from this case is that even for someone of good character, like Mr Ridley, if he gets involved in violence like this he must be subject to a banning order.

“He should have walked away from that situation and the film makes it clear that he could and should have done that.

“There is no reason he had to be involved.”

Ridley is banned from attending England matches until December 12, 2022, and is not allowed to be within a certain distance of a fixture four hours before or after the match.

He was ordered to pay £5,253 costs.