A man who fell from the upper tier of a stand during a football match and injured fans below has been found not guilty of assault. Maidstone United supporter John Ryan fell on to Joanne Peters and her partner Aaron Rose at Ipswich Town's Portman Road ground during an FA Cup clash in January 2024.
Ryan, 62, of Railway Street, Chatham, Kent, denied one count of assault by beating and one count of actual bodily harm. He told Ipswich Crown Court he had been unable to stop himself during goal celebrations. Ryan could be seen crying in the dock as the jury returned verdicts of not guilty to both charges, and said afterwards "it's been very stressful".
Peters told the court she initially thought the supporters' box behind her had collapsed and that she "could have died". Ryan had been one of thousands of Maidstone United supporters who saw their non-league side win 2-1 over Ipswich, who were heading to promotion from the Championship that season. He described the game as "the biggest match in the club's history" and said he had been celebrating a "special" goal.
The jury heard Ryan had been in the Cobbold Stand upper tier when he fell, slid down the sloping roof covering the boxes, and landed on the Ipswich supporters below. He told the jury he was unsure whether he had been pushed or his foot had slipped.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing