A football fan who tumbled from the upper tier of a stand during an FA Cup tie and landed on supporters below has been cleared of assault. John Ryan, 62, was found not guilty of two charges at Ipswich Crown Court after telling the jury he had simply been unable to stop himself during wild goal celebrations.
Portman Road, Ipswich (Credits: BBC News)
Ryan, a Maidstone United supporter from Chatham in Kent, fell from the upper tier of the Cobbold Stand at Ipswich Town’s Portman Road ground during the non-league side’s famous FA Cup clash in January 2024. He slid down the sloping roof covering the supporters’ boxes between the tiers before landing on Joanne Peters and her partner Aaron Rose, who were seated below.
The jury heard that Maidstone’s 2-1 victory over Ipswich — who were heading for promotion from the Championship that season — was, in Ryan’s words, “the biggest match in the club’s history,” and that he had been celebrating a “special” goal when he fell. He told the court he had gone down some stairs, hit a barrier, fallen over it and been unable to arrest his momentum. He added that he was unsure whether he had been pushed or whether his foot had slipped.
“I Thought I Could Have Died”
Peters told the court she had initially believed the supporters’ box behind her had collapsed and that she “could have died.” She described suffering elements of whiplash as well as numbness in her hands and internal bruising. Rose, meanwhile, told the jury he had been kicked in the head and believed Ryan had been drunk, remarking that “it wouldn’t take a scientist to work it out.”
The prosecution had told the trial that Ryan had drunk five cans of lager before the match. The jury was shown footage of him sliding down and off the sloping roof of the boxes — images that underlined just how dramatic and dangerous the fall was, regardless of intent.
Relief in the Dock
Ryan denied one count of assault by beating and one count of actual bodily harm. He could be seen crying in the dock as the jury returned not guilty verdicts on both charges. Speaking afterwards, he said: “It’s been very stressful,” adding that the jury “came to the right conclusion anyway.”
“When you score a goal like that the last thing on your mind is what’s going to happen,” he told reporters outside court. “I just remember going down the stairs and I hit that barrier, fell over it and that was it.” Asked whether he had a message for Peters and Rose, he said simply: “I’m sorry, it was an accident.”
The case was a reminder of how quickly football’s most joyous moments can turn frightening — for the fan who fell, and for the supporters beneath him. This time, at least, the law concluded it was an accident and nothing more.
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Source: BBC News — read the full story there.