Hartlepool football yob handed three-year ban for his part in 'large-scale disorder' after Bradford City match

Martin Richardson, 30, was said in court to be “right at the front” of trouble which took place after the league game between Hartlepool and Bradford on the night of March 15.

Teesside Magistrates Court heard a group of between 150 to 200 people gathered outside the ground and threw glass bottles and stones at police officers, vehicles and Bradford fans.

Sergeant Adrian Dack, from Cleveland Police Football Operations Unit, said they ranged from all ages and included both males and females, with some wearing balaclavas.

Richardson, of Raby Gardens, Hartlepool, was not said to have been armed or thrown anything, but he was with others who did, the court saw from footage played.

Sgt Dack said: “Mr Richardson is right at the very front of the disorder. He’s there with the rest of the crowd.”

It was accepted he walked towards police shouting at officers.

Police dogs were brought in to try to disperse the crowd but Richardson stayed with it as it moved down Clarence Road.

His involvement ended when he sought medical help which he received at the side of the road.

He pleaded guilty to using threatening, abusive and insulting words or behaviour that was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

Richardson’s solicitor David Malone, said in mitigation: “There’s no suggestion he was directly involved in using weapons and throwing items but he should have walked away.”

Mr Malone said watching Hartlepool had been “soothing” for Richardson’s mental health but accepted he would now be banned.

"Unfortunately, he found himself on the wrong side of the law on this occasion and he has paid the consequences for that,” he said.

District Judge Anna Moran said: “It’s clear that you were part of what I consider to be a substantial disturbance and sustained incident involving football related violence, and based on the footage that I’ve seen I’m satisfied that this is of the highest level of this type of [public order] offence.”

Richardson was fined £120 plus costs, and given a Football Banning Order preventing him from attending any regulated matches in the UK for three years.