A man has been banned from attending any matches for the next three years after he spat on a player of the opposition earlier this year.
Leroy Miller, 45, attended a match between Peterborough United and Ipswich Town at the Weston Homes Stadium in London Road, Peterborough, on 22 April.
At about 3.15pm, Ipswich Town scored, taking a 1-0 lead over Peterborough, when Miller left his seat to go down to the pitch side and spat on the goal scorer, Wes Burns.
The incident was captured on a live stream of the match on social media.
Miller, of Black Prince Avenue, Market Deeping, was arrested and later charged with a section 5 public order offence – namely using threatening or abusive words or behaviour to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
He appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on 12 May where he was fined £200.
The three-year Football Banning Order (FBO), which was granted at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, states that whenever an associated football match that is regulated is played:
- In the United Kingdom, he is banned from entering any premises for the purpose of attending a football match
- Outside the United Kingdom, he must report to a police station according to instructions that will be notified to the defendant by the Football Banning Orders Authority
- The defendant must surrender any travel authorisation document (passport, identity card, or any other form of travel authorisation) in the defendant’s name according to instructions notified by the Football Banning Orders Authority
- PC Mike Price, the force’s Dedicated Football Officer for PUFC, said: “This was totally unacceptable behaviour towards the Ipswich players.
“Not only that, but Miller was also sat in an area of the ground surrounded by families who would have witnessed this. There is no place for this type of conduct inside a football ground.”
Sye Roberts, Head of Safety, Risk and Compliance for PUFC, said: “Whilst working in partnership with Cambridgeshire Constabulary, the club identified and ejected Miller within a short period of time.
“Incidents of this nature are unacceptable, regardless of who spectators support or what’s happening on the pitch. Not only is this incident an offence, but it is also damaging to the Peterborough United brand.
“We received thousands of comments on social media and many media articles were published about the incident.”
