Three Crawley Town football fans have been given three-year Football Banning Orders after causing disorder at different matches involving the club. The individuals involved are Liam Green, 18, Benjamin Lanceley, 28, and Yai Prentice, 18.
Liam Green’s incident occurred at 3:45 pm on September 30 during a heated match between Crawley Town and Sutton United. Meanwhile, Benjamin Lanceley and Yai Prentice were involved in a separate disturbance in April during a game against Hartlepool held in Cleveland.
Following thorough investigations by the Sussex Police Football Unit, all three were convicted and handed three-year bans preventing them from attending any football matches or related events near the stadium.
PC Juliette Swietlik, Crawley Town’s dedicated Football Officer, said, “We will not tolerate football crime and related disorder. We want football fixtures to be family events where everyone can feel safe and enjoy themselves. Those who use the spirit of the match to commit crime will be put before the courts.”
Chris Baker, Crawley Town’s Safety Officer, added, “We have zero tolerance for anti-social behaviour and abuse. Working with Sussex Police, we identified and helped prosecute those responsible. We welcome the guilty verdict and the subsequent indefinite ban from Broadfield Stadium.”
Details from court hearings reveal that Liam Green, of Hickling Walk, Crawley, pleaded guilty at Crawley Magistrates’ Court on November 30 to using threatening or abusive words likely to cause harassment or distress, breaching the Public Order Act. He was ordered to pay a £26 surcharge, £85 court costs, and received the football banning order.
Benjamin Lanceley, of Wakehurst Drive, and Yai Prentice, of Northgate Road, were handed their three-year bans in October for similar offences linked to the Cleveland incident.
Both the clubs and police have issued warnings that troublemakers will not be tolerated and that courts will continue to take strong action against football-related disorder.
Originally published by UKNIP.
