Five-year ban for United thug who punched Liverpool fan

Five-year ban for Manchester United thug who punched Liverpool fan
15 Nov 2013 11:04

Liam Riley, 23, thumped a Reds fan outside Old Trafford before September’s cup clash
 

Liam Riley


A Manchester United fan previously banned from football stadiums was caught punching a Liverpool FC supporter less than 10 months after he was allowed back in to grounds.

Hooligan Liam Riley, 23, thumped a Reds fan outside Old Trafford before September’s clash between the two sides.

He ran off but was caught by police officers, arrested and brought before Trafford Magistrates Court.

Riley, from Partington, Sale, has now been banned from going to football grounds for five years.

In 2009 he was banned for three years after trouble flared in an Ashton-under-Lyne pub showing the Manchester derby.

Riley was one of a number of men charged after a large-scale brawl that ended up spilling onto the street outside the Old Fire Station.

He was handed a 12-month community order and a three-year ban.

But Riley was back up to his old tricks when United played Liverpool in the Capital One Cup on September 25.

Shortly before kick-off, a steward told police that trouble had broken out close to the coach park.

An officer called to the scene saw Riley punch a Liverpool supporter before fleeing.

He was later captured on the nearby concourse of the North Stand.

Riley pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour with intent to cause fear of or provoke unlawful violence, and was sentenced to another 12-month community order.

He was also ordered to carry out 270 hours of unpaid work, slapped with a five-year banning order and told to pay £250 costs and a £60 victim surcharge.

Chief Superintendent Mark Roberts, from Trafford Division, hit out at Riley.

He said: “We do not consider this man to be a football fan and he shames those supporters who go to games week in, week out and behave impeccably.

“This banning order proves that we not only work hard with football clubs across Greater Manchester but also across the country to ensure that those who are convicted are banned from not only the ground of the team they support, but every single stadium in the country.”

Source: echo