Banana Boy - Were Laws Really 'Bent'?

[highburyJD]

Save Thomas Flint!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... olice.html

Remember Sagna lying on the floor with his leg broken - a filthy Spud fan spat on him
I believe that's assault - police have def charged people with assault for spitting

Bac was on the floor in agony and was gobbed on by a (probably diseased) coward thats a million times worse.

ManUre v RealMadrid at the Theatre of Prawns I saw lighters flung down at Lopez

Why is it the Gooner made an example of?

[Bradywasking]

Save Thomas Flint!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... olice.html

Remember Sagna lying on the floor with his leg broken - a filthy Spud fan spat on him
I believe that's assault - police have def charged people with assault for spitting

Bac was on the floor in agony and was gobbed on by a (probably diseased) coward thats a million times worse.

ManUre v RealMadrid at the Theatre of Prawns I saw lighters flung down at Lopez

Why is it the Gooner made an example of?

So what can be done to help this Arsenal fan. OK lets be grown up and accept he was wrong but it hardly merits the punishment proposed. Why are Arsenal PLC making a statement of intent on banning him before any court action (pending that court outcome) ?. Surely it would have been better to let the court take it's course and then formulate a policy on its decision. to me Arsenal are trying too hard to be seen to do the right thing rather than doing the right thing by its own supporters.

[augie]

Save Thomas Flint!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... olice.html

Remember Sagna lying on the floor with his leg broken - a filthy Spud fan spat on him
I believe that's assault - police have def charged people with assault for spitting

Bac was on the floor in agony and was gobbed on by a (probably diseased) coward thats a million times worse.

ManUre v RealMadrid at the Theatre of Prawns I saw lighters flung down at Lopez

Why is it the Gooner made an example of?

So what can be done to help this Arsenal fan. OK lets be grown up and accept he was wrong but it hardly merits the punishment proposed. Why are Arsenal PLC making a statement of intent on banning him before any court action (pending that court outcome) ?. Surely it would have been better to let the court take it's course and then formulate a policy on its decision. to me Arsenal are trying too hard to be seen to do the right thing rather than doing the right thing by its own supporters.

Nail on the head for me - regardless of other failings the club has, this need to be over the top on things like this would have every genuine Gooner outraged This banning order will be pushed by the club and nobody else - he will in all likelihood get a knuckle rap from the law and you could allow some sort of short term ban by the club but a lifetime ban is outrageous.
This is an issue that should see all fans organisations unite to fight for the guy - pro wenger, anti wenger, pro usmanov and anti usmanov are all non issues here and we should do everything in our power to support the guy by any and all means necessary. The thing that makes it all the more frustrating is that our club never made a big deal over the peado abuse that wenger got all over the country when they should have been a lot more pro active defending their guy - it seems that it is easier for the club to hit their own fans than go after others

[Chippy]

You shouldn't have done it JD!

[northbank123]

Doesn't merit the punishment that is likely to be levied on him and the club's actions sum up Arsenal plc.

But had he engaged his brain whatsoever during this cunning plan he would have realised that doing this for a laugh in front of Sky cameras was always going to land him in trouble. Idiot.

[StuartL]

Maybe we (match going gooners) can start a banana protest at home matches, by throwing them onto the pitch (not at any players)

[highburyJD]

Maybe we (match going gooners) can start a banana protest at home matches, by throwing them onto the pitch (not at any players)

"Thomas Flint, 23, will appear in Highbury Corner Magistrates Court on April 12 charged with throwing a missile on to the pitch at White Hart Lane, under the Football Offences Act."
We could protest there...? (says the man who lives a hundred metres away)

[DB10GOONER]

He's a fucking idiot for doing what he did in the current climate. But a life ban for what is just a form of banter (and piss funny banter at that ) is fucking ludicrous.

If he'd thrown it at a black player then fuck yeah a life ban (and a punch in the throat) are justified for being a racist cúnt, but throwing a banana at an actual human / monkey hybrid? Arsene PLC need to cop the fuck on.

[Bradywasking]

He's a fucking idiot for doing what he did in the current climate. But a life ban for what is just a form of banter (and piss funny banter at that ) is fucking ludicrous.

If he'd thrown it at a black player then fuck yeah a life ban (and a punch in the throat) are justified for being a racist cúnt, but throwing a banana at an actual human / monkey hybrid? Arsene PLC need to cop the fuck on.

DB10 You may have (accidentally) raised a very important point there. I'm sure I saw Messrs Suarez and Terry playing football on my TV screen recently . The same Suarez and Terry that were guilty of racism on the pitch..4 to 8 game ban for the banana thrower then.

[Glitch33]

Young Mr Flint will have trouble wriggling out of this offence unless there is reasonable doubt that he didn't throw the curved yellow fruit.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/19/section/2

It is an offence for a person at a designated football match to throw anything at or towards—
(a)the playing area, or any area adjacent to the playing area to which spectators are not generally admitted, or
(b)any area in which spectators or other persons are or may be present,
without lawful authority or lawful excuse (which shall be for him to prove).

No racist intent needed, doesn't need to hit anyone,doesn't need to land on the pitch, could be a anything.

I suspect he will be advised to plead guilty, get some unpaid community work and accept a long, long banning order.

Alternatively he could elect for a trial by jury and hope to get 12 proper fans to find him not guilty.

[StuartL]

Young Mr Flint will have trouble wriggling out of this offence unless there is reasonable doubt that he didn't throw the curved yellow fruit.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/19/section/2

It is an offence for a person at a designated football match to throw anything at or towards—
(a)the playing area, or any area adjacent to the playing area to which spectators are not generally admitted, or
(b)any area in which spectators or other persons are or may be present,
without lawful authority or lawful excuse (which shall be for him to prove).

No racist intent needed, doesn't need to hit anyone,doesn't need to land on the pitch, could be a anything.

I suspect he will be advised to plead guilty, get some unpaid community work and accept a long, long banning order.

Alternatively he could elect for a trial by jury and hope to get 12 proper fans to find him not guilty.

So, a paper areoplane, a snowball or your season ticket being projected towards the pitch would all result in the same charge then ?

[Glitch33]

According to the law Yes.

The law prefer football fans to sit down and shut up. Actually they would prefer it is football fans didn't exist at all.

You should not underestimate the length the the BIB and CPS will go to get a conviction for "football" related offences. They love it.

[northbank123]

Young Mr Flint will have trouble wriggling out of this offence unless there is reasonable doubt that he didn't throw the curved yellow fruit.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/19/section/2

It is an offence for a person at a designated football match to throw anything at or towards—
(a)the playing area, or any area adjacent to the playing area to which spectators are not generally admitted, or
(b)any area in which spectators or other persons are or may be present,
without lawful authority or lawful excuse (which shall be for him to prove).

No racist intent needed, doesn't need to hit anyone,doesn't need to land on the pitch, could be a anything.

I suspect he will be advised to plead guilty, get some unpaid community work and accept a long, long banning order.

Alternatively he could elect for a trial by jury and hope to get 12 proper fans to find him not guilty.

Whether or not people think he should be punished harshly has nowt to do with whether or not you find him guilty - he can't fight the charge on the grounds that the punishment is disproportionate.

At the end of the day it's a joke the extent to which the club and authorities seems intent on hanging him out to dry but surely he must have realised that by throwing an item at a footballer onto the pitch he was committing a criminal offence? It wasn't a momentary lapse of judgement - it was a pre-meditated plan and the bloke is an idiot for doing it (funny as it was).

[Glitch33]

If you are a law abiding citizen who wouldn't say boo to a goose or dream of throwing something and have an awareness of the law you wouldn't dream of throwing something or getting involved in a fight. Especially at a football match.

How many people have read the football offences act, the public order act or understand the likely sentences and banning orders? Only the ones who get arrested I suspect.

[augie]

If you are a law abiding citizen who wouldn't say boo to a goose or dream of throwing something and have an awareness of the law you wouldn't dream of throwing something or getting involved in a fight. Especially at a football match.

How many people have read the football offences act, the public order act or understand the likely sentences and banning orders? Only the ones who get arrested I suspect.

I take your point but how can a fan be banned for life when a player (englands's captain no less) be banned for 4 games for racially abusing another player ? Both are criminal offences and without doubt the implication of racial abuse from a high profile player is far more widespread than the offence of throwing a banana at monkey boy. If the pikey had of racially abused sagna for example, would our club lead the way in demanding a life long ban ?