An avid Carlisle United fan has been banned from attending all of the newly-promoted team’s games for three years after he threw a missile which hit a spectator during the recent Cumbrian league derby at Barrow.
Matthew Olive, 23, was seen to hurl a bottle from the United spectators’ section at Holker Street across a segregation line and into the opposing home fans’ section of the ground.
A PC viewed CCTV footage of the incident, during the League 2 fixture on 22nd April, and positively identified Olive as the person responsible for launching the bottle, which had hit an unknown male.
When located and searched, Olive was also found in possession of cocaine which he said had been given to him by someone else to look after.
When interviewed, Olive initially denied the missile throw and claimed he had been wrongly identified. But at Carlisle Magistrates’ Court today he admitted a charge of throwing a missile at a spectator area, and possessing the illegal class A drug.
Defence solicitor Duncan Campbell said Olive, of Valley Drive, was very sorry for an incident which was wholly out of character for him.
“He has been a Carlisle United fan for a number of years and has travelled high and low to watch them win, lose and draw,” said Mr Campbell.
Since the incident he had been subject to an interim football banning order during which time the team had clinched promotion to League 1 with a play-off final win at Wembley.
“It has been a very enjoyable time for Carlisle United recently but not for this young man, who has certainly learned his lesson for his behaviour,” said Mr Campbell. “He knows it is not acceptable conduct at all.”
The bottle in question was plastic, the court heard, contained only “one-inch of water” and there had been no intention to hit anyone.
Olive was made to pay a heavy price for his illegal act as a district judge, John Temperley, imposed a three-year football banning order.
This prohibits Olive from going to any Carlisle United and also England international games during that period; and from entering a five-mile radius of stadiums in which they are playing at designated times on match days.
He must report to Durranhill police station within the next five days, and was also fined a total of £500 for the two offences.
“You probably appreciate if you go to football on a regular basis, as you do, that behaviour of the sort you were involved in on the day is not only unacceptable but there have to be significant penalties for it,” said the district judge.
Even if nobody had been hurt at Barrow, observed the judge, such acts had the potential to inflame situations, prompt people to retaliate and create disturbances which were difficult if not nearly impossible to contain.
