A football hooligan who bragged about his activities in a television documentary has been jailed for 27 months.
During an interview on The Real Football Factory, Bradford City follower Daniel Wright claimed clashes with rival supporters were ‘’the best buzz in the world’’.
But a judge told him yesterday that his offending brought disrepute to the city and the club. Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC heard that Wright was a member of the notorious Ointment gang and had twice been made the subject of football banning orders.
Prosecutor Louise Azmi told Bradford Crown Court that the 24-year-old was still under a four-year banning order when he was involved in a confrontation with Rotherham United fans last December.
She told the court how the fixture with Bradford City had been called off because of bad weather, but some Rotherham fans ended up drinking at the Windmill Inn in Wibsey, Bradford. Judge Durham Hall watched police video footage of Wright throwing punches at rival fans in the doorway of the pub as fighting spilled out along the street.
Wright, who was not arrested until April, pleaded guilty to a charge of affray, and Mrs Azmi outlined details of his previous convictions which included football-related offences in March, 2004, and October, 2005.
The judge was also shown clips from the documentary programme in which Wright told the interviewer: “When it kicks off it’s the best buzz in the world.’’ As part of his sentence yesterday Judge Durham Hall imposed a new eight-year football banning order on Wright even though his barrister pointed out that its terms would not have prevented the incident in Wibsey.
The new order means that Wright, of Greenholme Court, Holme Wood, Bradford, cannot go within a mile of Bradford City’s ground on match days for three hours before the kick-off and two hours after the game has finished.
He faces a similar restriction on going to either of city’s railway stations when City are at home and if they have an away game he must not go within five miles of an opponent’s ground.
Wright’s barrister Nigel Hamilton conceded that the latest incident was a serious one, but he pointed out that it was short-lived and his client had only used his fists during the fighting.
“While I accept that it is unpleasant and unlawful violence…for this type of violence it is at the lower end of the scale,’’ he submitted.
But Judge Durham Hall told Wright he was “a committed football hooligan’’ adding: “You clearly couldn’t care less. You revel in your notoriety even finding some satisfaction in being part of a group childishly named the Ointment – a choice which indicates the intellectual level of this activity.”
The judge said he intended to send out a message to others that the courts would not tolerate such offending.
Another man Kye Revitt, 23, of Westgate Hill Street, Bradford, also admitted the affray charge arising out of the same disturbance last December.
He was granted bail until September 15 so that a pre-sentence report could be prepared on him.
As part of his bail he is banned from going within a mile of City’s ground before and after any home games.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article