Caernarfon fan avoids football ban order

A KEEN Caernarfon Town fan accused of carrying out anti-social behaviour at football matches narrowly avoided being slapped with a banning order.

North Wales Police applied to a court to have Tyrone Duffy, 45, banned from attending matches for five years.

It was alleged at Caernarfon Magistrates Court he had “caused or contributed to violence or disorder in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, namely being drunk and disorderly and public order”.

A district judge was told of various incidents in which Duffy (pictured) was alleged to have acted inappropriately at football matches or elsewhere since 2011.

The married dad-of-one denied being involved in most of the incidents.

He accepted being involved in a violent incident on an Irish Sea ferry last October but claimed he had been assaulted first.

Rejecting the application District Judge Gwyn Jones said he was required to apply the higher criminal standard of proof – namely beyond reasonable doubt – rather than the lower civil standard which was based on the balance of probabilities.

Judge Jones said: “If I was required to adopt the civil standard I probably would allow the application.

“But I have to adopt the more exacting standard of criminal proof and I have to be satisfied that standard is met.

“I cannot do so and there I shall not make a football banning order.

“But Mr Duffy if you were not on North Wales Police’s radar before you are now.”

An application for costs by Duffy’s solicitor was rejected.