29-04-2025
Moment football fan kicks elderly man to head in 'sea of thugs'
Moment football fan kicks elderly man to head in 'sea of thugs'
The chaotic scenes included kicking, punching and spitting from a mass of hooligans
Police have released footage of a fierce brawl between more than 50 football hooligans in Newport city centre. Last week one Newport County fan was jailed over the violent disorder while two others narrowly avoided prison.
A fight between Newport and Eastleigh supporters broke out on the evening of January 6, 2024, following a 1-1 draw in the FA Cup third round. CCTV shows one Newport fan, Samuel Grant, kicking an elderly man to the head as well as unhinged violence from hooligans including Joseph Friel and Wayne Thomas.
Cardiff Crown Court heard the fracas began at 6.25pm outside the Wetherspoon pub in Cambrian Road. The judge, Recorder Andrew Hammond, said the brawlers were "groups I might loosely describe as supporters of both clubs but whose values have nothing to do with the sportsmanship and respect inherent in football".
"Numerous individuals were punching, kicking, stamping, putting each other in headlocks, and throwing objects at each other," said Recorder Hammond. "Two rival groups broke off and renewed the violence in waves of attacks on each other. In one particularly troubling part of the footage, an elderly man walking slowly with the assistance of a younger woman was targeted, and repeatedly punched."
Samuel Grant, 24, aimed a forceful punch at the face of the elderly man, who fell to the ground. "In a particularly cowardly act you, Grant, then kicked him as he lay on the floor, either to his upper torso or his face," said the judge.
Prosecutor Anisha Rai said the disorder started when then-17-year-old Exiles fan, Wayne Thomas, left the County supporters pub Bar Amber and walked past Wetherspoon's, where he goaded Eastleigh fans who were drinking outside. Thomas initiated the fight by throwing the first punch. He fled the scene after the initial scuffle but set off a "chain reaction" of violence, the court heard.
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Left to right: Samuel Grant, Joseph Friel and Wayne Thomas
(Image: Gwent Police / Conor Gogarty )
Newport fans ran into Bar Amber to get reinforcements, prompting a flood of supporters to join the melee outside Wetherspoon's. One of those was Grant, who swung an arm at someone who was backing away. He punched another man directly to the face, before targeting the elderly victim whom he kicked to the head.
Joseph Friel, a 22-year-old among the crowd to emerge from Bar Amber, could be seen hitting one Eastleigh fan to the face and then punching another several times. When police arrived, most brawlers sprinted off but Friel lingered, spitting at a man who was lying on the ground.
Thomas and Friel, both from Pontypool, and Grant, from Newport, all admitted violent disorder. Hilary Roberts, for Thomas, said his 18-year-old client had no previous convictions and had experienced "a lot of stress" because of the delay in the case coming to court.
"A raft of people have spoken well of him," said Mr Roberts. "He is a decent young man. He recognises how wrong he was, and he says, 'If I was sober I would have walked away.' He is very careful of how much he drinks now."
Will Bebb, for Grant, acknowledged his client already had a conviction for football-related violence, an affray from April 2022, but said he had gained new insights from the community order and unpaid work he recently completed for that offence. "There is a real development in his psyche," said Mr Bebb, who also pointed to his recent hiring as a door-to-door salesman. "He has overcome his substance issues and he has had a diagnosis of epilepsy, which is now well-managed."
Emma Harris, for Friel, said: "At the age of 18 he suffered an incident related to football which has clearly given him a very different perception of risk. A psychiatric assessment has indicated he is someone who has a very different perception of any harm that may be caused to him."
She added that he had no previous convictions and had found the court case "a very difficult environment" because of his mental health issues.
Grant cried as he was imprisoned by Recorder Hammond, who said he had been "continually in the centre of the fight" and had "shamefully" punched and kicked an obviously vulnerable elderly man. The judge imposed a 28-month jail term on Grant.
Recorder Hammond noted that an expert had concluded Friel "probably" had autism and may have bipolar disorder. He also took into account the probation service's assessment of Friel as posing a low risk of harm. The judge imposed a 20-month prison term on Friel, suspended for two years. He must complete 12 mental health treatment sessions and 10 days of rehabilitation activity, and pay a £300 fine and £150 in prosecution costs.
The judge said Thomas was "the person who started this whole incident" but also acknowledged his young age and his decision to leave the scene instead of continuing to fight. He imposed 18 months in a young offender institution suspended for 24 months, 150 hours of unpaid work, 15 days of rehabilitation activity and £150 in prosecution costs
All three defendants were handed five-year football banning orders. In an earlier court hearing, a 16-year-old boy who pleaded guilty to violent disorder received a six-month referral order to the Newport Youth Offender panel.
The judge praised the brave actions of PC Jade Butterworth, the first uniformed police officer on the scene. He said she displayed "extraordinary personal courage" to protect the elderly victim in "a sea of dark-clad thugs".
A Newport County spokesperson said: 'We welcome today's decision by the court. There is no place for this abhorrent behaviour and we will continue to work closely with Gwent Police to help identify any incidents of this nature.
'The club will maintain its zero-tolerance approach to such incidents, whether that's at Rodney Parade, the city centre or for away fixtures, and the imposition of banning orders, as a minimum, for anyone found guilty of such behaviour.
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'Newport County has worked tirelessly to create a reputation as a family-friendly football club and it is an image we will do everything in our powers to maintain.'
