Bristol City fan escapes ban after pub fight
A Hanham man has admitted affray after a group of Bristol City fans clashed with Leeds United supporters in a city centre pub.
Dean Ford, of Harolds Way, pleaded guilty to the charge on the basis the fracas was not football-related and he was no football hooligan, Bristol Crown Court heard.
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The 23-year-old was given bail and will be sentenced later. He was told that all options, including a jail sentence, would be open to the judge.
However, he was not banned from watching matches at Ashton Gate.
Mark Humphries, prosecuting, said the incident happened on March 7 at the Bunch of Grapes in Denmark Street.
He told the court a group of five Leeds supporters were drinking in the bar without a problem, when 25 to 30 City supporters returning from an away game arrived for a drink.
Mr Humphries said: "There was a fight in which Bristol supporters attacked the Leeds supporters.
"That is on CCTV, and it was broken up by staff in the pub.
"The allegation is the Bristol supporters knew that the five Leeds supporters were Leeds supporters.
"The Crown says this was football- related violence."
Matthew Comer, defending Ford, said the fight had not broken out because of football. It was simply an incident after a football match," he said. "He had seen Bristol City in Derby, gone to the pub and a fight broke out.
"It was not motivated by football.
"Mr Ford says he is not a football hooligan; he is a Bristol City fan. He would like to watch Bristol City."
However Mr Humphries said the Crown's case remained that the incident was football-related because of evidence from a barman who said that when members of the Leeds group identified themselves there was a cry of "We are ****ing City!" before the two-minute ruckus.
He said a head butt, glass throwing and punches were all captured on CCTV and the City fans were thrown out of the pub.
Judge Neil Ford QC was satisfied there was no need for Ford to be banned from attending Ashton Gate to watch football, because he viewed that a "step too far".
Benjamin Curry, 24, pleaded not guilty to affray and was bailed pending a trial.
Five other men have been charged with using or threatening unlawful violence in the same incident and are due to appear at Bristol Crown Court for a plea hearing on October 26.
16 Comments
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by Eddy, Bristol
Sunday, October 11 2009, 9:32PM
“Andy,
The incident was no where near the ground or related to a game of football,it happened in a pub on a saturday night. I bet one of many rubbish reasons why a fight started in a pub on a saturday night somewhere or another, thus in my opinion this was alcohol related more than football related.
You admit you are making assumptions and your first post implied a sweeping generalisation that all Bristol City fans are thugs. So I ask again why is it that you are so quick to make assumptions and put something down which could be a great opportunity for Bristol as a whole?
Clearly, there is some reason...
Live in Long Ashton?”
by Andy, Bristol
Sunday, October 11 2009, 1:48PM
“Eddy and Danny,
5 Leeds fans in town for football + 25 City fans returning from football = fight in town. Read the story.....the city fans chanted "we are ****ing city!" before wading in. Please don't kid yourself our anyone else that it was not football-related. It's also reasonable to assume the city fans were responsible, because there is no suggestion that the Leeds fans were out of order before the incident....it was the city fans that got thrown out.”
by Danny Williams, Bristol
Sunday, October 11 2009, 1:13PM
“Dont know why peole are bringing football violence into this sounds like a pub fight to me. Im a rovers fan but this story just seems like the kidy was a city fan who got into trouble down town hours after a football game, wasnt as if it was fighting around the city ground or in pubs nearby. Peolple love to jump on the bandwagon and say how bad all football fans are and become negative about the world cup campain.”
by Living in Bristol, Bristol
Sunday, October 11 2009, 10:45AM
“What's this 'We', Canada boy?
When you actually LIVE in the City, give us a shout and we'll listen to you.”
by Troy, Shenzhen, China
Saturday, October 10 2009, 11:48PM
“Soccer ever since the 70s has had violent gangs connected with it. The word for them these days is 'firms', and Bristol City's one is called the 'City Service Firm'.
'Beautiful game' now there is a euphemism for you.”
by Lawrence, Nanaimo B/C Canada
Saturday, October 10 2009, 4:39PM
“Well put Eddy, We should all get behind the [GREAT ] City ,
[ GREAT ] Teams we have 2,
& The [ GREATEST ] Game ,
Case closed,”
by Eddy, Bristol
Saturday, October 10 2009, 4:17PM
“Cue the predictable propaganda; so now all Bristol City fans are thugs, right?
Utterly ridiculous that you can self righteously judge a group of people on the actions of a few, based on an incident you know nothing about!
Sounds more alcohol related than football related, I assume then that everyone that drinks in the centre is a mindless yob too? In fact, in your blinkered, 'live and stop everyone else doing what they want' world they probably are.
Any Bristolian who doesnt see the opportunity the world cup presents us with as a community is either a little bit thick or has their own agenda to look out for.
We need to stop dwelling on the negativity and focus on bettering this great city of ours and really putting it in the shop window.
The negative people are as guilty of holding us back as any 'thug' is, and I simply cannot believe how many of them are out there!”
by Andy, Bristol
Saturday, October 10 2009, 11:15AM
“Ah good. At least Mr Ford will still be able to ensure that any visitors to Bristol benefit from a similar bristol city fans' "welcome" (in a non-football related kind of a way, it seems).
Really surprised the BEP have missed the opportunity to run a "Dean Ford backs the bid" story. A true illustration of the cosmopolitan, vibrant and diverse outlook from city fans that awaits any overseas football fan that has the misfortune of visiting bristol for a world cup match if the bid were successful.
Well done Dean!”
by Count of Monte Cristo, Ashtonia
Saturday, October 10 2009, 10:49AM
“I don¿t play soccer, I thought the last message would have explained that to you, or don¿t the free electrons responsible for the thinking processes that travel around your tiny brain work properly.”
by Troy, Shenzhen, China
Saturday, October 10 2009, 10:47AM
“If the world cup comes to Bristol, you can expect to see a lot more of this kind of behaviour.”