Marriner later appeared to come unstuck concerning

Marriner later appeared to come unstuck concerning a football violence conviction.

He told the court he had been convicted of pushing a Leicester supporter who had joked that he wished Nottingham Forest fans had died in the Hillsborough disaster.

But Charles Vaudin, prosecuting said that Marriner had been convicted in 1987 – although the Hillsborough disaster occurred in 1989.

Marriner then told the court that he thought the case was actually in 1989.

His barrister, Michael Wolkind QC, intervened saying ‘that dates can be wrong’ and the appropriate thing for Mr Vaudin to do would have been to tell
him of the discrepancy.

Marriner then said the reason he had been so eager to impress MacIntyre and Atkinson was that they had offered him a pnds stlg 100,000 contract to fit out a fleet of vans.

He said that would help him fulfil his ambition to invest in property.

‘I never thought being mouthy, trying to impress people and give myself a large one would cost me the best part of a year in prison,’ Marriner said.

Under cross-examination, Marriner also told the court that he ‘did not believe in National Front politics.

‘

‘I don’t really like people standing up in jeans that are too tight and Dr Martens done up to their knees.

That’s not for me.

‘

Marriner went on to say it ‘doesn’t matter to me if someone is black white, gay or lesbian.

‘

Earlier today, Marriner said he had made up a story that he wanted to find the Copenhagen fans who had beaten him up during a foreign fixture.

He had walked into the middle of a group of Danish supporters and fallen to the floor.

‘I was kicked constantly.

I curled up into a ball, carried on getting kicked and ran away.

‘ Marriner then went back to hospital and rested.

Asked why he said he ’rounded up some pals’ to get ‘revenge’ on his attackers, Marriner said:

‘Well it was quite obvious to them I’d been lying down.

I didn’t want to lose face.

I didn’t want to mug myself off.

‘So I told them I went back to get people.

‘

Talking about his political beliefs Marriner said of the Bloody Sunday counter demonstration.

‘Those IRA sympathisers, marching down our streets.

My personal opinion is that I don’t think it should be allowed.

‘

He also went on to say that the demonstration he attended on January 30 – for which he is accused of affray – ‘was nothing to do with Combat 18 or the
National Front.

‘

Marriner then said he has more than ten tattoos, one of which is of a skull and crossbones.

But he said this was not an emblem of the infamous Chelsea Headhunters football hooligan group which he claims does not even exist.

‘The name’s been invented more or less by the press.

It’s imaginary.

‘

Marriner added that his tyre business in Hanworth was just ‘ticking over’ – making him very keen to stay in with MacIntyre and another BBC researcher Atkinson.

Marriner said he had coined a nickname for the two men, ‘the Freemans’, because they were always giving him gifts.

When Marriner and Frain were offered a lift to a match in Leicester in an S-Registration Mercedes they felt they could not refuse.

He said: ‘Once again it was something for nothing.

‘

In the car Andrew Frain explained away boastful comments about the fear of the opposing fans by saying they were an attempt to keep in with the ‘Freemans’.

‘We were trying to get all we can out of them,’ he added.

The trial continues on Monday.

ends

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