Football fan thugs attacked stewards after disallowed goal at Crystal Palace
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Jack Baker, 22, Colin Fairgrieve, 53, Todd Kershaw, 36, Liam Miller, 30, Mitchell Voss, 26, Kurt Griffiths, 42, and his son Reece Griffiths, 20, all admitted affray.
Tempers flared after an equalising goal by Henri Lansbury was disqualified by the referee and captain Jack Grealish was booked for a dive in the build up.
A court heard the assault on the stewards at Selhurst Park was captured on camera on August 31, 2019.
Arfan Ahmed, prosecuting, told Croydon Magistrates’ Court that Kurt of Perry, Birmingham, and Reece Griffiths, from Great Barr, Birmingham, can be seen behind the goal in the footage.
The lawyer said: “The stewards are in a line just behind where the goal is on that side.
“The crowd effectively comes forward, both these defendants are part of that crowd and the stewards are being assaulted and so are police.
“The role that these two play is that Kurt has held his son back, he pushes forward he pushes a steward who falls to the ground. He remains involved and is then held back by his son Reece.
“In regards to Reece he can be seen in the incident he has hit someone before falling to the floor and remains involved and has to be held back and is holding back what appears to be his father. “He does not disassociate himself from the disorder.”
Fairgrieve, of Wootton, Northampton, is said to have played a “minor role” in the disorder and can be seen on the footage grabbing a steward, the court heard.
Magistrates ordered a pre-sentence report for the three men before they are sentenced on August 31.
Miller, of Birmingham, can be seen to “look animated when a goal is disallowed”, the court heard.
Mr Ahmed said: “He comes forward aggressively, pushes a steward back. He then kicks over the boarding aggressively.”
He will be sentenced along with Baker, of Great Barr, Birmingham, and Kershaw, of Swadlincote, Derbyshire, after pre sentence reports are prepared on September 1.
Voss, of Paignton, Devon, will be sentenced on September 3 pending a report.
The men were all initially charged with a more serious offence of violent disorder, but they were dropped after the Crown Prosecution Service decided to accept the guilty pleas for affray.
Another man Ryan Ross, 22, of Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, did not appear and magistrates issued a warrant for his arrest.
Aston Villa lost the game 1-0 to a Jordan Ayew goal.
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