Portsmouth v Southampton: 7 men jailed for combined 12 years for pelting police with missiles

Seven men were prosecuted at Portsmouth Crown Court today out of the hundreds involved in the disorder outside Fratton Park at the Southampton game last year.

All had been riled up by the ‘intense’ rivalry between the clubs in the first derby since 2012, with more than 600 officers deployed to keep the peace.

Up to 90 known ‘risk’ Saints thugs arrived by train at 5pm but in what followed riot police, drawn from forces across England, were forced to strike Blues hooligans with batons to keep the rivals apart.

Disorder broke out before, during and after the Carabao Cup match on September 24, with Saints fans entering Fratton Park with head injuries from thrown coins.

Now seven men who threw ‘missiles’ have been jailed for a combined 12 years and each handed a six-year football banning order.

Daniel Marsh received 27 months, Jamie Robb was jailed for 20 months, and Michael Foy got 24 months.

Cameron Blackman was sentenced to 16 months, while Jamie Steeves got 18 months, Jack Halstead was handed 16 months and Lewis Harbour received two years.

Judge David Melville QC said the men were involved in ‘disgraceful’ behaviour involving ‘serious disruption’ that caused ‘severe detrimental impact to the community’.

Prosecutor Simon Jones said the 70 to 90 ‘risk’ Southampton fans arriving on the train threw bottles onto the platform towards Pompey fans at Cosham station when it stopped.

As they arrived at Fratton in Goldsmith Avenue the fans threw red smoke flares as a ’baying mob’ of Blues fans waited for them.

Mr Jones said: ‘While officers tried to clear a group of hostile Portsmouth supporters numbering 400-500 at this point, the first missiles, glass bottles, were thrown at police.

‘They were faced with hundreds if not thousands of Portsmouth supporters refusing to move as they clearly want to engage with Southampton fans.’

Portsmouth fans ‘relentlessly’ threw punches at the Southampton fans guarded by a police escort moving from Fratton station along Goldsmith Avenue to Fratton Park.

They struck over officers' shoulders and in gaps in the police lines, Mr Jones said.

One mounted officer was struck in the neck with a large metal scaffolding clamp but she carried on providing an escort on her horse despite her injuries.

Conflict largely stopped at Ruskin Road, with Saints fans reporting to stewards several head injuries from stones and coins having been thrown at them.

Flares were thrown during the game, with a two-litre bottle, coins and lighters thrown at Saints fans during the match where the Blues lost 4-0.

More trouble erupted after 300 Blues fans waited near the away turnstiles in Apsley Road waiting for Saints fans as police cleared them into Goldsmith Avenue.

Around 300 fans were at the Shell garage ‘jumping around getting pumped up’ before they were cleared.

‘It was clear that they were there for only one thing and that was to be involved in disorder,’ Mr Jones said.

Missiles including glass bottles, pool balls, lumps of concrete were thrown at the police as officers cleared the group using baton strikes to move them on.

‘You can hear glass smashing and objects landing on the ground like rain,’ Mr Jones said.

‘Officers then charge at the group pushing them further down Goldsmith Avenue.’

Footage played in court shows Daniel Marsh, 40, of Binsteed Road in Buckland - spotted earlier threatening police in the stadium and being on the frontline of fans in Goldsmith Avenue ‘offering violence, pointing and gesturing,’ the judge said.

He was caught on video breaking up a brick in the decorating centre car park - before launching it towards police lines.

Stewards earlier had to remove Marsh, a convicted burglar, from the stadium as he bayed and shouted at the away end with his fist clenched at police.

Painter and decorator Jamie Robb, 22, of Bemisters Lane in Gosport, was spotted throwing a ‘lump of concrete’ towards lines while being ‘seven out of 10 drunk’.

Jack Halstead, 24, of Buckland Close in Waterlooville, launched a plastic cup at riot officers pushing the 300 thugs toward the northern end of Fawcett Road.

Halstead told police he ‘doesn’t really follow football’ but got ‘caught up’ in the crowd. He did not go to the game.

Lewis Harbour, 23, of Beach Road in Southsea, chucked objects at officers - later telling police he ‘may have thrown some stones at the scummers’. He ‘foolishly joined in,’ solicitor Claire Jackson said.

Police finally cleared the crowd by around 10.45pm.

But the court heard a large group of thugs, including dad-of-one Cameron Blackman, 26, broke through the police lines in Selbourne Terrace to get onto platform one at Fratton station opposite where Saints fans were about to go home.

Scores of Blues fans lined the platform jeering, shouting and chanting towards opposing fans.

Prosecutors say groundworker Blackman, from Castle Street in Portchester, threw a coin - but he claimed it was chewing gum.

British Transport Police and Hampshire officers had to rush onto the platform - sending passengers flying - to disperse the disorder.

All admitted violent disorder, including Michael Foy, 34, of Station Road, Drayton, who admitted being ‘stupid’ for picking up and throwing an already-lit blue flare over a police horse before the game outside Lidl.

Both Foy and Halstead ‘have no intention of ever going to a football match’ again, their solicitor Bridget O’Hagan said.

Booze-fuelled apprentice Jamie Steeves, 19, of Stubbington Avenue in Copnor, was spotted in disorder three times and threw items towards police. He admitted violent disorder and has no previous convictions.

Former Ukip candidate Derek Jennings was jailed in August for punching a police horse on the night.

Detective chief inspector John McGonigle said: ‘The majority of fans on the day turned up at Fratton Park to enjoy the match.’

He said ‘the level of violence and aggression displayed by the minority is just simply unacceptable’.

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