Football thugs brought ‘terror’ to the streets ahead of Manchester United match as rival fans clashed in ‘disgraceful’ scenes. Fans of United and arch-rivals Leeds United clashed in Manchester city centre ahead of a crucial Premier League fixture.
Six people involved in the incident appeared before a judge for their roles in the ugly scenes before the match, which involved ‘conditional fights’ where chairs and bins were used as weapons.
The manager of a nearby Cafe Nero closed its doors after being left ‘horrified’ by what he witnessed on a busy Saturday morning. Other businesses were also forced to close for the day due to the disorder. Many who faced justice were told they came ‘very close’ to going to jail.
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“This was a disgraceful incident,” Judge Nicholas Dean KC told them during a sentencing hearing at Manchester Crown Court. “This is an incident that brings shame to you and to the football club you claim to support.
“The rivalry, even hostility, between Manchester United and Leeds United is known to be long-standing and led to violence, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s when many of you were very young.
“It had largely dissipated or disappeared. It resurrected itself on August 14, 2021. You were oblivious to the fear and terror that your actions and the actions of others would instill in others.”
Gary Stevenson, 43, Daniel Campbell, 20, Graham Jones, 51, Jordan Fassam, 40, Paul Lingings, 40, and John Catterall, 46, were given suspended sentences and football bans.
The judge told them they were ‘mostly men of an age who should know much better’. He added: “To say you should be ashamed of yourselves is to underestimate how you behaved. You behaved brutally, in a way that would otherwise be called bestial behaviour. You behaved in a crude and primitive way.”
Prosecutors said the violent disturbance occurred at around 10.30am on Saturday, August 14, 2021. It was the first day of the Premier League season and United were due to face Leeds at Old Trafford at 12.30pm, a match they went on to win 5-1 with three goals from Bruno Fernandes.
Prosecutor Tom Sherrington said some Leeds fans were drinking in Albert Square while some United fans were walking towards the pitch on Princess Street. Opposition fans were verbally abusive and objects were thrown.
Police intervened to separate the fans and officers led the United fans down John Dalton Street and then towards Deansgate. Mr Sherrington said a group of Leeds fans had made their way down Lloyd Street towards where the United fans had been moved.
Prosecutors said a ‘number of men were subjected to physical violence’ outside Cafe Nero on the corner of Lloyd Street and Deansgate. ‘A number of items were thrown, including chairs, traffic cones, signs, cups, bottles and flares,’ Mr Sherrington said. Shocking video footage showed the mayhem unfolding, with a bin being used as a weapon in one incident.
The manager of the Cafe Nero store locked the front door for several minutes as the ugly scenes continued. He was ‘horrified’ to see ‘chairs and bins being used as weapons’. Police intervened again and the Leeds fans retreated back to Lloyd Street.
The six men were chosen from CCTV footage analysed by police. Fassam and Lingings were both seen throwing punches, while Catterall was seen kicking a man. Campbell picked up a chair and followed opposition fans for a short distance. Stevenson and Jones were also said to be ‘actively involved’ in the disturbances.
Cafe Nero store manager Rebecca Clarke said her staff were ‘deeply shaken’ by the incident. The Slug and Lettuce pub in Albert Square was forced to close temporarily due to the violence.
A shopkeeper on Lloyd Street closed for the day out of fear for his safety, while a barber on the same street could only handle a limited number of customers due to the chaos.
Lawyers for the six defendants have appealed to have them spared jail time. Stevenson’s lawyer, Alex Bennie, said the defendant was a bricklayer who had worked with the same colleague for 20 years. He said his colleague’s work would be affected if Stevenson went to prison.
Speaking for Jones, Isobel Thomas said the defendant was a “hard worker” and a “family man who became a grandfather”. She said Jones, a logistics liaison engineer, was “ashamed” of his actions.
Alex Bennie, who also represented Fassam, said the defendant worked as a fundraiser for a charity supporting veterans. He said the father-of-two’s cocaine addiction had been “long-standing” and had reduced “significantly”. Ms Thomas, who also represented Lingings, said the defendant had worked as an electrician for 20 years and lived a “normal, law-abiding life”.
She said the defendant was “ashamed” of his actions and described them as a “serious error of judgement”. Speaking for Catterall, Emily Woodside said the defendant, who had recently become a grandfather, felt “tremendously ashamed”.
He said he had cut down on his drinking and now watches football at home or in the pub. Charlotte Phillips said Campbell had ‘punished himself’ by giving up his season ticket after the incident. The apprentice said Campbell, who was 17 at the time, had been ‘caught up in chaos’ and was now ‘ashamed’ of his behaviour.
Stevenson, of Worcester Close, Chesterfield; Campbell, of Abney Road, Mossley; Jones, of Lomond Grove, Ellesmere Port; Fassam, of Margate Road, Kent; Lingings, of Horrocks Street, Tyldesley, and Catterall, of Whit Lane, Salford, were all found guilty of violent disorder.
Full sentences:
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Gary Stevenson – Sentenced to 22 months in prison, suspended for two years. Must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,000 prosecution costs. Banned from attending football matches for five years.
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Daniel Campbell – Sentenced to 16 months in prison, suspended for two years. Must carry out 120 hours unpaid work and pay £500 prosecution costs. Banned from attending football matches for three years.
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Graham Jones – Sentenced to 21 months in prison, suspended for two years. Must carry out 180 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,000 prosecution costs. Banned from attending football matches for five years.
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Jordan Fassam – Sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for two years. Must complete a 12-month drug rehabilitation program and 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days. Banned from attending football matches for three years.
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Paul Lingings – Sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years. Must carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,000 prosecution costs. Banned from attending football matches for three years.
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John Catterall – sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years. He must do 220 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days and was ordered to pay £1,000 prosecution costs. He was banned from attending football matches for five years.