by Football thugs ‘terrorised’ the streets as rival fans protested ‘disgraceful’ scenes before Manchester United’s game. United fans and bitter rivals Leeds United clashed in Manchester city center ahead of a crunch Premier League game.
Six of those involved have been brought before a judge for their part in the ugly scenes before the game. There were ‘running battles’, with chairs and bins being used as weapons.
The manager of nearby Cafe Nero closed its doors after being ‘horrified’ by what she saw on a busy Saturday morning. Other businesses had to close for the day because of the disaster. Some of those who opposed justice were told that they were ‘very close’ to being sent to prison.
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“This was a disgraceful episode,” Judge Nicholas Dean KC told them during a sentencing hearing at Manchester Crown Court. “It’s an incident that shames you, and shames the football club you’re supposed to support.
“The rivalry, indeed, the animosity between Manchester United and Leeds United is well known for a long time, and there was certainly violence in the 1970s and 1980s when most of you were very young.
“It was mostly scattered or gone. He resurrected himself on August 14, 2021. You were not satisfied with the fear and horror that your actions and those of others would inflict on others.”
Gary Stevenson, 43, Daniel Campbell, 20, Graham Jones, 51, Jordan Fassam, 40, Paul Lingings, 40, and John Catterall, 46, were given suspended prison sentences and football banning orders.
The judge told them they were ‘old men who should have known much better for the most part’. He added: “To say you should be ashamed of yourself is to underestimate how you behaved. You behaved brutally, which in other circumstances could be described as animal behavior. You behaved in a young and primitive way.”
Prosecutors told how the violent disorder happened at around 10.30am on Saturday, August 14, 2021. It was the first day of the Premier League season with United due to play Leeds at Old Trafford at 12.30pm, in a game that United later won 5-1, with the help of a Bruno Fernandes hat-trick.
Tom Sherrington, prosecuting, told how some Leeds fans were drinking in Albert Square, while some United fans were walking along Princess Street towards the ground. The opposing fans exchanged verbal abuse and several items were thrown.
The police stepped in to separate the supporters, and the officers moved the United fans down John Dalton Street and then to Dean Gate. Mr Sherrington said a group of Leeds fans made their way down Lloyd Street, towards where the United fans had been moved to.
Prosecutors said ‘a large number of males were engaging in physical violence’ outside Cafe Nero on the corner of Lloyd Street and Dean Gate. “Many items including chairs, traffic cones, signs, mugs, bottles and flares were thrown,” Mr Sherrington said. Shocking footage showed the fracas unfolding, with a bin being used as a weapon in one incident.
Cafe Nero’s store manager locked the door for a few minutes and the ugly scenes continued. She was ‘horrified’ to see ‘chairs and bins being used as weapons’. The police intervened again and the Leeds fans marched back up Lloyd Street.
The six men were selected from CCTV footage analyzed by police. Fassam and Lingings were both seen throwing punches, while Catterall was seen kicking a man. Campbell picked up a chair and chased the opposition fans for a short distance. Stevenson and Jones were also said to be ‘actively involved’ in the disorder.
Cafe Nero store manager Rebecca Clarke said her staff were ‘very upset’ by the incident. The Slug and Lettuce pub on Albert Square had to be temporarily closed due to the violence.
A shopkeeper on Lloyd Street was closed for the day as he feared for his safety, while a barber on the same street could only deal with a limited number of clients due to the disorder.
Lawyers acting for the six defendants appealed to be spared jail. Stevenson’s barrister, Alex Bennie, said the defendant was a bricklayer who had worked with the same colleague for 20 years. He said his colleague’s work would be affected if Stevenson were jailed.
Isobel Thomas, for Jones, said the defendant was ‘hard working’ and a ‘family man’ who is now a grandfather. She said Jones, a logistics liaison engineer, was ’embarrassed’ by his behaviour.
Alex Bennie, who also represented Fassam, said the defendant works as a fundraiser for a charity that supports veterans. He said the dad-of-two had a ‘long-term’ addiction to cocaine and had cut down on it ‘significantly’. Ms Thomas, who also represented Lingings, said the defendant has worked as an electrician for 20 years and has a ‘normal, law abiding life’.
She said the defendant is ‘ashamed’ of his actions, describing them as a ‘serious error of judgement’. Emily Woodside, for Catterall, said the defendant, who recently became a grandfather, feels ‘deeply ashamed’.
She said his drinking has been cut back and he now watches football matches at home or in the pub. Charlotte Phillips said Campbell ‘punished himself’ after the incident by giving up his season ticket. She said Campbell, an apprentice who was 17 at the time, was ‘caught up in the chaos’ and is now ‘ashamed’ of his behaviour.
Stevenson, of Worcester Close, Chesterfield; Campbell, Abney Road, Mossley; Jones, of Lomond Grove, Ellesmere Port; Fassam, of Margate Road, Kent; Linings, Horrocks Street, Tyldesley; and Catterall, of Whit Lane, Salford, all pleaded guilty to violent disorder.
The sentences in full:
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Gary Stevenson – sentenced to 22 months in prison, suspended for two years. He must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,000 prosecution costs. He was banned from attending football matches for five years.
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Daniel Campbell – sentenced to 16 months in prison, suspended for two years. He must carry out 120 hours of unpaid work and pay £500 prosecution costs. He was banned from attending football matches for three years.
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Graham Jones – sentenced to 21 months in prison, suspended for two years. He must carry out 180 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,000 prosecution costs. He was banned from attending football matches for five years.
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Jordan Fassam – sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for two years. He must complete a 12-month drug rehabilitation program and a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement. He was banned from attending football matches for three years.
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Paul Linings – sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years. He must carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,000 prosecution costs. He was banned from attending football matches for three years.
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John Catterall – sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years. He must carry out 220 hours of unpaid work and a 20 day rehabilitation activity requirement, and was ordered to pay £1,000 prosecution costs. He was banned from attending football matches for five years.
