Scores of youths have been given prison sentences following a Whitsun weekend of violent clashes between gangs of Mods and Rockers at a number of resorts on the south coast of England.
Yesterday two youths were taken to hospital with knife wounds and 51 were arrested in Margate after hundreds of teenagers converged on the town for the holiday weekend.
Dr George Simpson, chairman of Margate magistrates, jailed four young men and imposed fines totalling £1,900 on 36 people.
Three offenders were jailed for three months each and five more sent to detention centres for up to six months.
In Brighton, two youths were jailed for three months and others were fined.
More than 1,000 teenagers were involved in skirmishes on the beach and the promenade last night.
They threw deckchairs around, broke them up to make bonfires, shouted obscenities at each other and at passers-by, jostled holidaymakers and terrified elderly residents.
At about 1300 BST Mods and Rockers gathered at the Palace Pier chanting and jeering at each other and threw stones when police tried to disperse them.
The teenagers staged a mass sit-down on the promenade when police, using horses and dogs, tried to move them on.
In Margate, there were running battles between police and up to 400 youths on the beach early yesterday morning. Bottles were thrown and two officers were slightly hurt.
Later, on the high street, around 40 young men smashed council flat windows and vandalised a pub and a hardware shop.
Last night, hundreds of young men and girls were still wandering around the resort long after the last train had left.
Police stepped in to prevent further violence and dispersed about 30 youths in leather jackets who marched up the promenade shouting "Up the Rockers!"
There were further clashes at Bournemouth and Clacton.
Seven hooligans were jailed yesterday following one of Britain's biggest operations against football violence, part of a continuing crackdown ahead of this summer's European Championships in Portugal. The seven participated in organised fighting at Greenwich in south London between Charlton and Southampton supporters and were either convicted of or admitted conspiracy to commit violent disorder. Ten others had been jailed at an earlier hearing at Kingston crown court.
David Walker, a teacher and head of year at a Birmingham school, was not present at the fight but he had admitted organising it using the nickname Three Lions, a reference to the England team's badge. He was jailed for two years yesterday.
Many of the 17 met abroad following England, and detectives said they were likely to be planning to go to Euro 2004.
The convictions follow a confrontation in April 2002. Hooligan firm leaders from Southampton and Charlton arranged the fight via the internet, email and mobile phone, and agreed to meet an hour before kick-off of the Premiership fixture. They met at Maze Hill, two stops before the station that serves Charlton's Valley ground, because it was unlikely to be policed. Around 15 Southampton fans got off the train to be greeted by more than 30 Charlton hooligans. The fight lasted two minutes but three men were put in hospital.
Police arrived after the gangs dispersed - but, using CCTV footage, mobile phone, and computer records and witness statements, they were able to bring the men to trial.
The case gives an insight into a subculture in which mutual respect is derived from such clashes, regardless of the outcome. In messages the men expressed sympathy for those ending in hospital, and admired the other side's efforts. One Charlton fan wrote of the Southampton fans: "Fair play to the group that got off at Maze Hill. Don't worry about the result. At least you bothered to get off despite knowing there'd be no OB [Old Bill] about."
Det Insp Carl Skrzypiec of British Transport police said: "There is no doubt that many of these 17 hooligans would have been organising fights at Euro 2004. It's a major success having them behind bars."
Are you having a laugh digging that up ? It was a decade ago.
A Conspiracy charge will always carry a heavier sentence, of all the Maze Hill people sentenced, nobody on either side was sentenced for violence, it was for the conspiracy.
Seven hooligans were jailed yesterday following one of Britain's biggest operations against football violence, part of a continuing crackdown ahead of this summer's European Championships in Portugal. The seven participated in organised fighting at Greenwich in south London between Charlton and Southampton supporters and were either convicted of or admitted conspiracy to commit violent disorder. Ten others had been jailed at an earlier hearing at Kingston crown court.
David Walker, a teacher and head of year at a Birmingham school, was not present at the fight but he had admitted organising it using the nickname Three Lions, a reference to the England team's badge. He was jailed for two years yesterday.
Many of the 17 met abroad following England, and detectives said they were likely to be planning to go to Euro 2004.
The convictions follow a confrontation in April 2002. Hooligan firm leaders from Southampton and Charlton arranged the fight via the internet, email and mobile phone, and agreed to meet an hour before kick-off of the Premiership fixture. They met at Maze Hill, two stops before the station that serves Charlton's Valley ground, because it was unlikely to be policed. Around 15 Southampton fans got off the train to be greeted by more than 30 Charlton hooligans. The fight lasted two minutes but three men were put in hospital.
Police arrived after the gangs dispersed - but, using CCTV footage, mobile phone, and computer records and witness statements, they were able to bring the men to trial.
The case gives an insight into a subculture in which mutual respect is derived from such clashes, regardless of the outcome. In messages the men expressed sympathy for those ending in hospital, and admired the other side's efforts. One Charlton fan wrote of the Southampton fans: "Fair play to the group that got off at Maze Hill. Don't worry about the result. At least you bothered to get off despite knowing there'd be no OB [Old Bill] about."
Det Insp Carl Skrzypiec of British Transport police said: "There is no doubt that many of these 17 hooligans would have been organising fights at Euro 2004. It's a major success having them behind bars."
Are you having a laugh digging that up ? It was a decade ago.
Lies from Skrzypiec, and used as warning shot for the upcoming Euros at the time, to create a sense of "we are watching you" for any hooligans planning anything.
FACT - nobody had planned anything for Euro 2004, media hype.
If you look at most sentences containing conspiracy it will always be higher than the actual act. Even conspiracy to supply class a as opposed supplying class a.
@SE10 is it really just youngsters though. Some of the footage I have seen over the years there have been a number of / if not majorities of 30 to 40 plus's
You're right but I was mainly referring to the 18 year olds who in their eyes have no responsilitys and therefore nothing to lose.
Two men charged today are 43 and 53 years old .. one is from that hotbed of football fandom .. St Neots in Cambridgeshire
@SE10 is it really just youngsters though. Some of the footage I have seen over the years there have been a number of / if not majorities of 30 to 40 plus's
You're right but I was mainly referring to the 18 year olds who in their eyes have no responsilitys and therefore nothing to lose.
Two men charged today are 43 and 53 years old .. one is from that hotbed of football fandom .. St Neots in Cambridgeshire
And he was breaching his bail conditions so he was really concerned at what our legal system can do to him wasn't he?
A Conspiracy charge will always carry a heavier sentence, of all the Maze Hill people sentenced, nobody on either side was sentenced for violence, it was for the conspiracy.
I see, is it maybe just easier for them to prove conspiracy rather than the actual commissioning of the act ?
A Conspiracy charge will always carry a heavier sentence, of all the Maze Hill people sentenced, nobody on either side was sentenced for violence, it was for the conspiracy.
I see, is it maybe just easier for them to prove conspiracy rather than the actual commissioning of the act ?
with the proliferation of 'social media' it is becoming easier to prove or at least make accusations of conspiracy. Once a message is sent, it cannot be obliterated/deleted .. warning .. you ARE being monitored
<blockquote class="Quote" rel="se9addick"><blockquote class="Quote" rel="DA9">A Conspiracy charge will always carry a heavier sentence, of all the Maze Hill people sentenced, nobody on either side was sentenced for violence, it was for the conspiracy. </blockquote>
I see, is it maybe just easier for them to prove conspiracy rather than the actual commissioning of the act ?</blockquote>
Yes, and in this instance they did it for the heavier sentencing that it carried, as believed by the briefs involved, those in the prison service, and the appeal court judges when all those that were still in the prison system got their sentences reduced (two people got 4 years), all due to Euro 2004 and the message that they wanted send out, appeal court judges agreed with this and made statements to that affect.
A man who punched a police horse when football fans clashed following the Tyne-Wear derby says he is "disgusted" with the way he behaved.
Four officers were injured and 29 people were arrested after Sunday's 3-0 defeat. Five have so far been charged.
Barry Rogerson, from Morpeth, was arrested and bailed on suspicion of violent disorder, police said.
The 45-year-old said he was "stupid and wrong" for the way he reacted and he never intended to hurt the horse.
Newcastle United, who lost the game 3-0, said it was "embarrassed and appalled" at the violence.
Mr Rogerson said: "It's all a nightmare. I came out of the pub... then we were in the middle of all these horses and all of a sudden I was stuck in the middle of it all.
"Somebody set a rocket off, or a banger or something and it spooked the horses.
"The next thing I knew, the horse came running at me and I instantly reacted, stupidly and wrongly.
"What I think I did, because it all happened so quickly, I think I went to stop it with my left hand on its neck and I've punched it in the nose and I was stupid.
"I panicked and it was just an instant reaction, I wasn't intending to hurt the horse."
'Feeble excuse'
The animal, Bud, of West Yorkshire's mounted section, was not hurt in the incident.
Mr Rogerson said he had a scarf over his face during the incident because a tooth filling had dropped out and the "cold air was getting in".
Bud the horse was not injured in the incident He said: "I know it sounds a feeble excuse, but that's the truth, sorry.
"I am not a thug, I have never been involved with football hooligans, I have never been in trouble before.
"I never set out to go to the match to cause trouble."
A spokesman for Newcastle United said: "The club will take the strongest possible action against those involved in the disturbances and will impose immediate lifetime bans on all those found guilty."
Mr Rogerson said he did not want to be banned from St James' Park, but he would "accept it".
He said: "I'm disgusted with myself, I have let my family down, I have let myself down and I let Newcastle down
This is the best bit: Mr Rogerson said he had a scarf over his face during the incident because a tooth filling had dropped out and the "cold air was getting in"
May as well have said his dog ate his homework as well.
A man who punched a police horse when football fans clashed following the Tyne-Wear derby says he is "disgusted" with the way he behaved.
Four officers were injured and 29 people were arrested after Sunday's 3-0 defeat. Five have so far been charged.
Barry Rogerson, from Morpeth, was arrested and bailed on suspicion of violent disorder, police said.
The 45-year-old said he was "stupid and wrong" for the way he reacted and he never intended to hurt the horse.
Newcastle United, who lost the game 3-0, said it was "embarrassed and appalled" at the violence.
Mr Rogerson said: "It's all a nightmare. I came out of the pub... then we were in the middle of all these horses and all of a sudden I was stuck in the middle of it all.
"Somebody set a rocket off, or a banger or something and it spooked the horses.
"The next thing I knew, the horse came running at me and I instantly reacted, stupidly and wrongly.
"What I think I did, because it all happened so quickly, I think I went to stop it with my left hand on its neck and I've punched it in the nose and I was stupid.
"I panicked and it was just an instant reaction, I wasn't intending to hurt the horse."
'Feeble excuse'
The animal, Bud, of West Yorkshire's mounted section, was not hurt in the incident.
Mr Rogerson said he had a scarf over his face during the incident because a tooth filling had dropped out and the "cold air was getting in".
Bud the horse was not injured in the incident He said: "I know it sounds a feeble excuse, but that's the truth, sorry.
"I am not a thug, I have never been involved with football hooligans, I have never been in trouble before.
"I never set out to go to the match to cause trouble."
A spokesman for Newcastle United said: "The club will take the strongest possible action against those involved in the disturbances and will impose immediate lifetime bans on all those found guilty."
Mr Rogerson said he did not want to be banned from St James' Park, but he would "accept it".
He said: "I'm disgusted with myself, I have let my family down, I have let myself down and I let Newcastle down
To be fair I watched the interview and he seemed like a decent bloke.
The penalties for misbehaving at football are what most will agree, extremely harsh in comparison to other misbehaviors elsewhere.
So why is it there is a constant stream of idiots willing to completely disrupt their own, families and most often kids lives, and face the modern day press / social network humiliation, over something so pathetic ?
Its not a case of saying 'you don't get it' because you are right, I don't. I could when it was a 100 fine, a slap on the wrist and at worst a tiny corner mention in the News Shopper.
But to risk jail, and effectively your life, career and family over something so insignificant, well, you must be bonkers.
There are I suspect a proportion of idiots that are not put off by jail at all. Don't forget, with prisons over-stretched, a two year sentence could effectively mean just eight or nine months behind bars.
Also, with social media and everyone having access to a camera phone it is perceived that there is more violence at football these days when, as someone else has said, statistically this may not be the case.
Finally there is the 'Jeremy Kyle' factor. A certain generation of cretins that will get involved in violence regardless of consequences. They are not risking their careers, families and friends because they are of little importance to them anyway. More often than not these are young people.
Harsh penalties work to an extent, but how you target those that have complete disregard for authority or little care for the consequences of their actions, is nothing football can solve, indeed probably any government.
This is plausible. The last time I went to the dentist to have a general check up and clean I distinctly remember the Dentist shouting after me, "Soapy, don't forget, scarf around your face, we don't want the weather affecting your dental health do we...?"
Comments
Yesterday two youths were taken to hospital with knife wounds and 51 were arrested in Margate after hundreds of teenagers converged on the town for the holiday weekend.
Dr George Simpson, chairman of Margate magistrates, jailed four young men and imposed fines totalling £1,900 on 36 people.
Three offenders were jailed for three months each and five more sent to detention centres for up to six months.
In Brighton, two youths were jailed for three months and others were fined.
More than 1,000 teenagers were involved in skirmishes on the beach and the promenade last night.
They threw deckchairs around, broke them up to make bonfires, shouted obscenities at each other and at passers-by, jostled holidaymakers and terrified elderly residents.
At about 1300 BST Mods and Rockers gathered at the Palace Pier chanting and jeering at each other and threw stones when police tried to disperse them.
The teenagers staged a mass sit-down on the promenade when police, using horses and dogs, tried to move them on.
In Margate, there were running battles between police and up to 400 youths on the beach early yesterday morning. Bottles were thrown and two officers were slightly hurt.
Later, on the high street, around 40 young men smashed council flat windows and vandalised a pub and a hardware shop.
Last night, hundreds of young men and girls were still wandering around the resort long after the last train had left.
Police stepped in to prevent further violence and dispersed about 30 youths in leather jackets who marched up the promenade shouting "Up the Rockers!"
There were further clashes at Bournemouth and Clacton.
Spurs hooked up with the casuals in a game when Chelsea were aligned to rangers and there was an incident and it continued from there
Lies from Skrzypiec, and used as warning shot for the upcoming Euros at the time, to create a sense of "we are watching you" for any hooligans planning anything.
FACT - nobody had planned anything for Euro 2004, media hype.
I see, is it maybe just easier for them to prove conspiracy rather than the actual commissioning of the act ?</blockquote>
Yes, and in this instance they did it for the heavier sentencing that it carried, as believed by the briefs involved, those in the prison service, and the appeal court judges when all those that were still in the prison system got their sentences reduced (two people got 4 years), all due to Euro 2004 and the message that they wanted send out, appeal court judges agreed with this and made statements to that affect.
A man who punched a police horse when football fans clashed following the Tyne-Wear derby says he is "disgusted" with the way he behaved.
Four officers were injured and 29 people were arrested after Sunday's 3-0 defeat. Five have so far been charged.
Barry Rogerson, from Morpeth, was arrested and bailed on suspicion of violent disorder, police said.
The 45-year-old said he was "stupid and wrong" for the way he reacted and he never intended to hurt the horse.
Newcastle United, who lost the game 3-0, said it was "embarrassed and appalled" at the violence.
Mr Rogerson said: "It's all a nightmare. I came out of the pub... then we were in the middle of all these horses and all of a sudden I was stuck in the middle of it all.
"Somebody set a rocket off, or a banger or something and it spooked the horses.
"The next thing I knew, the horse came running at me and I instantly reacted, stupidly and wrongly.
"What I think I did, because it all happened so quickly, I think I went to stop it with my left hand on its neck and I've punched it in the nose and I was stupid.
"I panicked and it was just an instant reaction, I wasn't intending to hurt the horse."
'Feeble excuse'
The animal, Bud, of West Yorkshire's mounted section, was not hurt in the incident.
Mr Rogerson said he had a scarf over his face during the incident because a tooth filling had dropped out and the "cold air was getting in".
Bud the horse was not injured in the incident
He said: "I know it sounds a feeble excuse, but that's the truth, sorry.
"I am not a thug, I have never been involved with football hooligans, I have never been in trouble before.
"I never set out to go to the match to cause trouble."
A spokesman for Newcastle United said: "The club will take the strongest possible action against those involved in the disturbances and will impose immediate lifetime bans on all those found guilty."
Mr Rogerson said he did not want to be banned from St James' Park, but he would "accept it".
He said: "I'm disgusted with myself, I have let my family down, I have let myself down and I let Newcastle down
May as well have said his dog ate his homework as well.
DOH ! I forgot they didn't turn up....
Yep, "Self-Defence" !
Tw*t.
Also, with social media and everyone having access to a camera phone it is perceived that there is more violence at football these days when, as someone else has said, statistically this may not be the case.
Finally there is the 'Jeremy Kyle' factor. A certain generation of cretins that will get involved in violence regardless of consequences. They are not risking their careers, families and friends because they are of little importance to them anyway. More often than not these are young people.
Harsh penalties work to an extent, but how you target those that have complete disregard for authority or little care for the consequences of their actions, is nothing football can solve, indeed probably any government.
Good luck there were no Police horses around at the time.