Unhappy Hammer is banned forever

A lifelong West Ham fan who threw a flare onto the pitch during a Premier League match has been banned from ever seeing his beloved club play again.

Billy Mansfield, 26, hurled the firework at the London Stadium after Jarrod Bowen scored in the 80th minute in their 1-2 defeat to Brentford last 3 October.

Prosecutor Callum Barlow told Thames Magistrates Court: ‘A goal was scored by West Ham and it was at that point a smoking flare was thrown onto the pitch.

‘CCTV was able to go back and trace where the flare had come from and identify Mansfield by virtually his seat number.

‘He was overcome by them scoring the goal and got carried away using the flare.’

Mansfield was later identified and made a ‘full confession.’

The club immediately banned him from attended West Ham games for life, both home and away.

Matthew Coxall, defending, said: ‘His first connection with the police was when he went in for his interview.

‘They accepted that he had a momentary lapse and he had the item with him for an earlier lawful purpose.

‘He has been worried sick about it as has his family.

‘He had it for a protest outside of the ground, but he still had it during the football game.

‘The defendant accepts that throwing items on the pitch is completely unacceptable.’

The earlier protest was organised by Hammers United group about ownership of the club.

‘He has been going to football matches since he was four,’ Mr Coxall continued.

‘He is 26 years old.

‘His father has been going to football matches for 45 years and he generally goes with dad.

‘Never had any kind of problem at all.

‘This is a single incident, highly unlikely to be repeated and he cannot go to West Ham anyway.

‘It is often the banning orders that are the real punishment – the fact that he cannot go to West Ham again, banned from his home team, his family’s home team.’

In a letter to West Ham United FC, Mansfield wrote: ‘I would like to apologise to the club, all the staff that worked at the stadium, fellow supporters, the players and to my dad for letting him down.

‘I have been following West Ham football with my dad for years.

‘I cannot justify my actions, but I am truly sorry for what I did.’

The magistrates had to decide whether to impose a general football banning order on top of the one already in place barring Mansfield from West Ham games.

Chair Caroline Cramplin said: ‘We are going to make a football banning order today.

‘You have committed a relevant offence and that offence was serious and it could have triggered further violence and disturbance.

‘We are banning you from any premises for the purpose of attending any regulated football match in the UK for three years.’

Mansfield, of Crayford, Kent, was fined £328, ordered to pay costs of £85 and pay a victim surcharge of £34.

He admitted throwing a missile onto a football playing area and possessing a firework or flare at a sporting event.
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