Roma fan who ‘destroyed life’ of Seán Cox is jailed
Roma fan who ‘destroyed life’ of Seán Cox jailed for three and a half years
A BALACLAVA-clad Italian hooligan who “destroyed” the life of a Liverpool fan and his family in a “vicious” attack ahead of a Champions League tie has been jailed for threeand-a-half years.
AS Roma supporter Simone Mastrelli (30) picked out father-of-three Seán Cox (53) because of the Liverpool FC scarf he was wearing and knocked him unconscious with a single heavy blow to the face near Anfield.
Mastrelli, a married man with children, was at the fore of a group of between 50 and 60 ‘ultras’ in distinctive clothing with many covering their heads and faces, and some carrying belts in their hands as weapons.
As Mr Cox, from Dunboyne, Co Meath, lay motionless, Mastrelli quickly disappeared into the crowd and “callously” entered the ground to watch the game on April 24 last year.
He flew back to Italy the next day and remained at large until he was arrested in October and placed under house arrest. Mastrelli fought extradition in several appeals before he was finally brought to the UK last month.
Yesterday, he was produced from custody at Preston Crown Court and pleaded guilty to unlawfully and maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr Cox.
The court heard Mr Cox was undergoing treatment in the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire for a “profound” brain injury.
Prosecutor Keith Sutton said sales director Mr Cox was before the incident “a busy husband and father of three children with a wide circle of friends and many active interests” who would be unlikely to live independently again.
His daughter Shauna (20) entered the witness box to read out a victim personal statement as Mastrelli watched on from the dock, flanked by an interpreter.
She said: “Before this brutal and vicious attack, my dad was a fit and confident man, a man of integrity with a huge passion for life who represented everything which is good.
“This violent and unprovoked attacked left dad in a dire situation. His future is uncertain. We don’t know how he will progress and that really frightens us.
“Over the past 10 months, we have spent all our time at dad’s bedside and have celebrated birthdays and Christmas when all we want is our dad to be home.
“My dad went to watch his beloved team, Liverpool, and he never came home.”
Judge Mark Brown told Mastrelli: “There is no doubt in my mind that you went to the stadium as a group to sort out the Liverpool supporters and in doing so you have destroyed the life of an innocent man and his family.”
Outside court, Mr Cox’s wife Martina said: “Today brings a close to the court process. However, the effects of the attack on Seán will remain with us for a lifetime.
“While it is pleasing to know that Mr Mastrelli will serve three-and-a-half years, he has given Seán and our family a life sentence.
“I would like to thank the police and all those that have been involved in the case and to all who have given us so much support.”
A separate count of violent disorder against Mastrelli was allowed to lie on file by the Crown Prosecution Service after it accepted his not guilty plea to the charge.
Another Roma fan, Filippo Lombardi (21), was cleared of inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr Cox in October, though he was jailed for three years for violent disorder.
A third man, Daniele Sciusco (29) from Rome, admitted violent disorder and was jailed for two-and-a-half years in August.