Skip to content

Man deliberately fell on Ipswich fans, trial hears

Zoie O'Brienat Ipswich Crown Court
News imageBBC A man outside a court building on his phone. He wears a yellow coat and blue shirt. He has short grey hair. BBC
John Ryan, pictured at a previous court hearing, is accused of falling from the upper tier of Portman Road

A football fan deliberately threw himself to a lower tier of a grandstand during a match, a court heard.

Maidstone United supporter John Ryan is accused of falling from the upper tier on to a section of home supporters at Ipswich Town's Portman Road ground during an FA Cup clash in January 2024.

The 62-year-old of Railway Street, Chatham, Kent, denies two counts of assault by beating and one count of actual bodily harm.

Opening the trial at Ipswich Crown Court, prosecutor Simon Gladwell told the court Ryan had been intoxicated and injured a woman and a man in the lower tier.

"He deliberately - effectively - threw himself on the roof to roll down it," Gladwell said.

"It was a deliberate action, and he was at the very least reckless as to what injury he would cause."

News imageTony O'Brien/Reuters A two-tiered stand at a football ground. It has "IPSWICH TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB" in white letters on the front of the roof. Between the upper and lower tiers is a sloping roof over executive boxes which has advertising on it. There are three flames rising from devices on the pitch that reach the roof of the stand. The stand is full of supporters.Tony O'Brien/Reuters
The court was shown footage of the defendant sliding over the sloping roof of the boxes between the upper and lower tiers of the Cobbold Stand (pictured during another match)

Ryan was among more than 4,000 Maidstone United fans who had travelled to Portman Road for the game.

Gladwell told the court he had consumed five cans of lager ahead of the match that kicked off at 12:30 GMT.

The jury heard that when Maidstone scored, Ryan could be seen rolling on to a roof and off the end of it, before he landed on the crowd below.

CCTV and social media footage of the incident was shown to the jurors, and Gladwell said Ryan claimed the wall was so low, he "could not stop himself" from falling and that he did not know whether he was pushed.

Ryan landed on Joanne Peters and her partner Aaron Rose.

The court was told Peters suffered internal bruising and a trapped nerve, while her partner was left with "soreness and stiffness".

The trial continues.

Do you have a story suggestion for Suffolk? Contact us below.

Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

Related internet links