A man who engaged in offensive chanting prior to a Burnley Football Club fixture with Manchester United has been handed a five-year Football Banning Order (FBO). The incident occurred outside a pub on Yorkshire Street, Burnley,on September 23.
Billy Rambadt, a 27-year-old individual, directed his vitriol towards a group of Manchester United fans. In a shocking display, Rambadt shouted the word ‘Munich’ and mimicked an aeroplane gesture – a chilling reference to the 1958 Munich Air Disaster.
The reprehensible incident was captured on Body Worn Video by police. Following a thorough review of the footage, Rambadt was identified and subsequently charged with using threatening and abusive language likely to cause harassment, alarm, or distress.
On Friday, February 16, Rambadt faced trial at Blackburn Magistrates Court and was convicted of the offence. In addition to the FBO, he received a £500 fine and was ordered to pay £85 in costs along with a victim surcharge of £200.
Superintendent Melita Worswick, part of the Special Operations Team, expressed her strong condemnation of Rambadt’s behaviour: “Rambadt’s conduct on that day was absolutely appalling and something that I know many people will find abhorrent. Although Rambadt was not arrested at the scene, justice did catch up with him in the end. To be clear, if you are not arrested at the time you commit an offence like this, be sure that we will be reviewing the evidence against you, and you should expect a knock at the door.”
