Telegraph
By Sally Peck and agencies
Four Manchester United fans will be spending Christmas in an Italian prison after they were jailed in Rome today for their part in a fight with rival football supporters.
A British Embassy spokesman in Rome said that Kyle Dillon, 23, and Richard Wimmer, 39, had both been sentenced to two years and six months in prison after facing charges of assault and resisting arrest.
Nicholas Lucas, 18, and Michael Burk, 35, were both jailed for two years and five months, he said.
The four men were arrested on December 12 after fighting with AS Roma fans before the Champions League match in the Italian capital.
The men were arrested during violent fighting between United and Roma fans on the Duke D'Aosta bridge outside Roma's Olympic Stadium.
Security arrangements for last night were tight and included 60 United stewards and a total ban on the sale of alcohol throughout the city in the afternoon. Police helicopters also circled the stadium in an attempt to isolate trouble spots.
The match, which ended 1-1, was largely academic as both sides had already qualified for the last 16 of the competition.
Showing posts with label Telegraph. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Telegraph. Show all posts
Wednesday, 26 December 2007
Saturday, 22 December 2007
Prison for United fans who fought in Rome
Telegraph
By Malcolm Moore in Rome
Last Updated: 12:46am GMT 22/12/2007
Four Manchester United fans have been jailed by an Italian court for fighting before the Champions' League match against Roma earlier this month.
Kyle Dillon, 23, and Richard Wimmer, 39, were both given sentences of two years and five months. Nicholas Lucas, 18 and Michael Burk, 35, were sentenced to two years and four months in prison.
Judge Roberto Mendoza said all four men were guilty of resisting arrest and violent conduct. Dillon and Wimmer were sentenced to an extra month in jail because they also damaged property.
Italian police said that the men were part of a group of 60 or 70 fans dressed head to toe in black, who crossed the bridge outside the stadium in search of a fight.
"They came over the bridge, went to the River Bar, where the Roma fans go before the match, and started fighting immediately. Some of them threw bottles; some of them threw rocks," said a police spokesman. He added that the group of hooligans was highly organised.
During the fighting, five Manchester United fans were stabbed by Roma Ultras and needed hospital treatment.
Chief Superintendent John Graves, of Greater Manchester Police, was the head of a group of English policemen working with Italian police to contain the violence. "The Italian police were far more responsive to our information and advice than I expected," he said.
Greater Manchester Police identified the four men and said they were "known to them". However, none of the men has a banning order from Old Trafford. A United spokesman said the club would now look at taking action against them.
Catia Summaria, the public prosecutor in Rome, said: "These were serious charges of violence." The men did not enter a plea, but chose an 'abbreviated trial', which entitled them to a two-thirds reduction in their sentence under Italian law.
Dillon's mother, Janet, was adamant that her son had been "in the wrong place at the wrong time".
She said: "He's a season ticket holder; he goes to all the games. He's mad about Manchester United, but he would never get involved in any violence. He would walk away from it."
Dillon is partially sighted, and his mother said that he had "no previous record at all of anything like this".
She added: "I came to Rome with a ticket to take him home. Now his girlfriend and father are going to have to come over here for Christmas. I brought references from his employer and from his doctor. Everyone says he would never get into trouble."
The last time Manchester United and Roma played in Rome, last April, several people were hospitalised both inside and outside the stadium.
By Malcolm Moore in Rome
Last Updated: 12:46am GMT 22/12/2007
Four Manchester United fans have been jailed by an Italian court for fighting before the Champions' League match against Roma earlier this month.
Kyle Dillon, 23, and Richard Wimmer, 39, were both given sentences of two years and five months. Nicholas Lucas, 18 and Michael Burk, 35, were sentenced to two years and four months in prison.
Judge Roberto Mendoza said all four men were guilty of resisting arrest and violent conduct. Dillon and Wimmer were sentenced to an extra month in jail because they also damaged property.
Italian police said that the men were part of a group of 60 or 70 fans dressed head to toe in black, who crossed the bridge outside the stadium in search of a fight.
"They came over the bridge, went to the River Bar, where the Roma fans go before the match, and started fighting immediately. Some of them threw bottles; some of them threw rocks," said a police spokesman. He added that the group of hooligans was highly organised.
During the fighting, five Manchester United fans were stabbed by Roma Ultras and needed hospital treatment.
Chief Superintendent John Graves, of Greater Manchester Police, was the head of a group of English policemen working with Italian police to contain the violence. "The Italian police were far more responsive to our information and advice than I expected," he said.
Greater Manchester Police identified the four men and said they were "known to them". However, none of the men has a banning order from Old Trafford. A United spokesman said the club would now look at taking action against them.
Catia Summaria, the public prosecutor in Rome, said: "These were serious charges of violence." The men did not enter a plea, but chose an 'abbreviated trial', which entitled them to a two-thirds reduction in their sentence under Italian law.
Dillon's mother, Janet, was adamant that her son had been "in the wrong place at the wrong time".
She said: "He's a season ticket holder; he goes to all the games. He's mad about Manchester United, but he would never get involved in any violence. He would walk away from it."
Dillon is partially sighted, and his mother said that he had "no previous record at all of anything like this".
She added: "I came to Rome with a ticket to take him home. Now his girlfriend and father are going to have to come over here for Christmas. I brought references from his employer and from his doctor. Everyone says he would never get into trouble."
The last time Manchester United and Roma played in Rome, last April, several people were hospitalised both inside and outside the stadium.
Wednesday, 19 December 2007
Man Utd fans await fate after Roma violence
Telegraph
By Malcolm Moore in Rome
Four Manchester United fans risk spending Christmas in an Italian jail, where they have been held for a week on charges of violent behaviour and resisting arrest.
Nicholas Lucas, 18, Michael Burk, 35, Richard Wimmer, 39, and Kyle Dillon, 23, were arrested in Rome before last Wednesday's Champions League match against Roma and are due to appear before a judge on Friday.
The men were arrested during fighting between United and Roma fans on the Duke D'Aosta bridge outside Roma's Olympic Stadium.
A spokesman for the British Embassy said the men's lawyer "had asked for more time to prepare a case". A source said the men had been recorded on CCTV footage that covers the bridge.
Five other Manchester United fans were stabbed during the fight and were treated in hospital. Police had to use tear gas to separate the rival fans.
"We are aware that four men were charged on the night," said a spokesman for United. "We are waiting to see what the verdict will be."
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Chief Superintendent John Graves, of Greater Manchester Police, was in Rome on the evening and helped organise the security arrangements. "I would question the motives of any fan who decided not to take the transport and advice that was offered and make their own way to the ground," he said.
He queried why the men had chosen to cross the bridge in a large group, at a time when it is usually packed with Roma fans. However, he added that there were far fewer problems than the season before, when a score of United supporters were stabbed and several others wounded by police in clashes in the stadium.
The mother of Dillon said he was partially sighted and would never take part in football violence. Janet Dillon, 47, told the Manchester Evening News: "I can't honestly believe that he was involved in any fighting outside the stadium. He has never been in any trouble before. I've found the Italian legal system incredibly frustrating as I've not been able to speak to him or find out how he is.
"His friends had to bring his luggage and passport back to Manchester with them - as there was no one to leave it with there - so he is stranded. I've spoken to lawyers in Rome and am preparing to fly out to Italy with some money and his passport if I have to before he appears in court. I just want him home for Christmas."
Dillon suffers from Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy, she said, which means he has only partial vision.
By Malcolm Moore in Rome
Four Manchester United fans risk spending Christmas in an Italian jail, where they have been held for a week on charges of violent behaviour and resisting arrest.
Nicholas Lucas, 18, Michael Burk, 35, Richard Wimmer, 39, and Kyle Dillon, 23, were arrested in Rome before last Wednesday's Champions League match against Roma and are due to appear before a judge on Friday.
The men were arrested during fighting between United and Roma fans on the Duke D'Aosta bridge outside Roma's Olympic Stadium.
A spokesman for the British Embassy said the men's lawyer "had asked for more time to prepare a case". A source said the men had been recorded on CCTV footage that covers the bridge.
Five other Manchester United fans were stabbed during the fight and were treated in hospital. Police had to use tear gas to separate the rival fans.
"We are aware that four men were charged on the night," said a spokesman for United. "We are waiting to see what the verdict will be."
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Chief Superintendent John Graves, of Greater Manchester Police, was in Rome on the evening and helped organise the security arrangements. "I would question the motives of any fan who decided not to take the transport and advice that was offered and make their own way to the ground," he said.
He queried why the men had chosen to cross the bridge in a large group, at a time when it is usually packed with Roma fans. However, he added that there were far fewer problems than the season before, when a score of United supporters were stabbed and several others wounded by police in clashes in the stadium.
The mother of Dillon said he was partially sighted and would never take part in football violence. Janet Dillon, 47, told the Manchester Evening News: "I can't honestly believe that he was involved in any fighting outside the stadium. He has never been in any trouble before. I've found the Italian legal system incredibly frustrating as I've not been able to speak to him or find out how he is.
"His friends had to bring his luggage and passport back to Manchester with them - as there was no one to leave it with there - so he is stranded. I've spoken to lawyers in Rome and am preparing to fly out to Italy with some money and his passport if I have to before he appears in court. I just want him home for Christmas."
Dillon suffers from Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy, she said, which means he has only partial vision.
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