A hooligan from Henfield has been jailed for a year for his part in an organised fight.
Matthew Cummins, 34, of Wantley Hill Estate, was one of 12 men who admitted violent disorder after a fight among football ‘fans’ in Grove Hill, Brighton, on Saturday, July 31, 2010.
Police received 28 calls relating to the fight, which happened as Brighton and Hove Albion played a pre-season friendly against Aberdeen. Twenty police officers arrived within minutes. The other 11 men involved, from Hove, Portslade, Lancing, Littlehampton, London and Essex, were jailed for between a year and three-and-a-half years. All of the 12 received six-year football banning orders, except two who had already been banned.
Chief Supt Graham Bartlett said after the hearing at Hove Crown Court: “We are pleased that the sentences they received reflect the seriousness of this incident. Football is about the enjoyment of a sport, not about violent disorder. I am very grateful for the support the communities, Brighton and Hove Albion and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have provided to bring these people to justice.
“I hope the sentences will deter others who think it’s acceptable to act in a similar way. Most people enjoy football and their good behaviour should not be marred by a mindless minority who harm and scare others.”
A spokesman for the CPS said: “We would like to pay tribute to the quick thinking and swift action of the members of the local community who, through various means, recorded the incident. Without this, we wouldn’t have been able to successfully prosecute. This is a case of the CPS and police working with the help of the local community to identify and prosecute football-risk supporters.”
