Football thug gets 14 months in prison for pitch attack on rival team captain
A FOOTBALL thug who ran on to the pitch and punched Aston Villa’s star player and captain was jailed for 14 weeks yesterday.
Birmingham City fan Paul Mitchell attacked Jack Grealish from behind, smashing him on the jaw.
The 27-year-old pub worker blew kisses to City fans as he was led away by stewards in the ninth minute of Sunday’s Birmingham derby.
Yesterday at Birmingham magistrates court, Mitchell pleaded guilty to assault and pitch encroachment.
Passing sentence, magistrate Alison Fisher told him: “This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable.
“Players such as Mr Grealish are entitled to protection.
“We have therefore gone outside of our guidelines in the interests of justice.”
Weapon
Mitchell, a father of one, from Rubery, Birmingham, has been banned from attending matches for life by the club.
A statement read to magistrates from Mr Grealish, who went on to score the winning goal, said: “I cannot help but feel how lucky I was in this incident. It could have been so much worse had the supporter had some sort of weapon.”
Mitchell was ordered to pay £100 to Grealish as compensation and handed a 10-year ban from attending any football match. He was also ordered to pay a £115 victim surcharge and £135 in prosecution costs.
Speaking after the assault at St Andrew’s – and a separate incident in which Manchester United defender Chris Smalling was confronted by a fan on the pitch – former England striker Alan Shearer warned players’ lives could be at risk.
“It is absolutely disgusting and if we don’t stamp it out now, next time it could be a knife,” he said.
“It’s that serious.Where are we at in football when some thug thinks that is what he is going to do?”
There was an angry reaction on Twitter by police who slammed Mitchell’s sentence as too light.
One tweet by the Police Inspectors Forum read: “Is that all for an unprovoked attack? Justice is broken in this country.”
Meanwhile, a fan who ran on to the pitch at the Emirates Stadium during Sunday’s match between Arsenal and Manchester United and pushed United player Smalling has been charged with common assault.
Gary Cooper, 30, from Chertsey, Surrey, has also been charged with pitch invasion. He has been bailed to appear at Highbury Corner magistrates court on March 26, the Metropolitan Police said.