Roma fan cleared of assault on Sean gets 3 years in jail for violent disorder

A ROMA supporter who was cleared of inflicting grievous bodily harm on an Irish Liverpool fan has been jailed for three years for violent disorder.

Filippo Lombardi was yesterday found not guilty of assaulting Sean Cox before the Champions League semi-final at Anfield.

The father of three, from Dunboyne, Co Meath, suffered “catastrophic injuries” when he was attacked in April.

The jury of six men and six women took just under nine hours to reach a verdict.

The 21-year-old from Rome, who had an Italian interpreter with him in the dock but gave most of his evidence in English, had admitted a charge of violent disorder before the trial. The student was one of a group of about 30 Roma supporters who made their way down Venmore Street to Walton Breck Road, outside the stadium, just after 7pm.

Lombardi was seen on footage swinging a belt as another man, referred to as N40, punched Mr Cox, causing him to fall to the ground.

Recorder of Preston Judge Mark Brown said Lombardi’s sentence would have been considerably longer if he had been convicted of the attack on Mr Cox.

But he added: “Nonetheless, it is a feature of the case that during the violent disorder he was severely injured and that cannot be ignored.

“The violent disorder did not end with the attack on him because as he was lying unconscious on the ground it carried on regardless near to him and you, as is clear from the footage, were in the thick of it.”

The court heard Mr Cox suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and is still being treated in a rehabilitation centre.

Defence counsel Alison Gurden said Lombardi was of previously good character and had played as a goalkeeper in the AS Roma academy between the ages of 13 and 16.

She added: “Mr Lombardi has a background of someone who, since he was a young man, has been very responsible and very hard working.”

She said he had had a “huge maturity increase” after spending nearly six months in prison.

Judge Brown did not accept Lombardi had not been there to cause trouble. He added: “There is no doubt in my mind that your purpose was to cause a violent clash with the Liverpool fans and that’s demonstrated vividly in film footage.”

He said footage showed Lombardi using his belt “as a whip” and added: “In my judgment, you have brought disgrace on AS Roma supporters.”

Another man has been arrested in Rome in connection with the attack and is awaiting extradition.

Judge Brown praised Mr Cox’s family, including his wife Martina, who had been in court for much of the trial and said they had acted with the “greatest of dignity and respect”.

There was no visible reaction from the public gallery, where three members of Lombardi’s family were also sitting, when the verdict was announced.