A 19-year-old has been banned from attending football matches for five years after twice punching a police officer following Nottingham Forest’s home fixture against Derby County.
Kyle Adams, of Beamhill Road, Burton-upon-Trent, was part of a group of Derby supporters being escorted back to Nottingham train station following the match at the City Ground on January 22.
As away supporters were accompanied across Lady Bay Bridge, Adams turned to a police officer and leaned in close to tell him: “I really want to headbutt you.” He then smiled and looked into the officer’s eyes.
The officer responded by telling him to “keep walking”.
Minutes later, a fight broke out and the officer and other police colleagues moved in to break up the disorder.
Adams was involved and during the commotion he twice punched the same officer he had threatened earlier.
Police officers arrested him at the scene, in Cattle Market Road, and charged him with common assault of an emergency worker and using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause fear of violence.
Adams appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (22 March 2022) and pleaded guilty to both offences.
As well as the five-year football banning order, Adams was given a 12-month community order involving 120 hours of unpaid work.
He was also fined £180 and ordered to pay £200 compensation to the police officer he assaulted.
Superintendent Claire Rukas, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “It is important to remember the vast majority of fans attending the match, did so peacefully and without becoming involved in disorder.
“Sadly, there were some pockets of disorder following the result and I would like to pay tribute to the professionalism and determination of the officers who responded to keep people safe.
“Adams took it upon himself to assault one of these officers. His actions were completely unacceptable and we welcome the sentence passed down to him – it should serve as a strong warning to others who might consider committing similar appalling offences.
“As we have repeatedly said, being abused and assaulted is not just part of the job and any assault on police officers – physical or verbal – will be dealt with accordingly.
“I would like to thank Derbyshire police officers who assisted at the match itself, as well as attending court to provide evidence of the impact of violence at football.
“We will continue to work closely with other forces to ensure that law abiding fans and families can attend matches free from violence and intimidation.”
