Three Crawley Town Fans Slammed with Football Banning Orders
Three football fans have been found guilty for causing trouble at Crawley Town FC matches. Liam Green, 18, Benjamin Lanceley, 28, and Yai Prentice, 18, have all been slapped with three-year Football Banning Orders following disorderly conduct at separate games.
Disorder at Key Matches
Green’s trouble kicked off at 3:45 pm on September 30 during a heated clash between Crawley Town and Sutton United. Meanwhile, Lanceley and Prentice were caught up in another disruption back in April at a match against Hartlepool in Cleveland.
Strict Action from Police and Club
Sussex Police Football Unit launched a thorough investigation that led to the trio’s convictions. Their punishment? A three-year ban preventing them from attending any football matches or related events around the stadium.
“We will not tolerate football crime and related disorder. We want football fixtures to be family events where everyone can feel safe and enjoy themselves,” said PC Juliette Swietlik, Crawley Town’s dedicated Football Officer.
“Those who use the spirit of the match to commit crime will be put before the courts,” she added.
Chris Baker, Crawley Town’s Safety Officer, chimed in: “We have zero tolerance for anti-social behaviour and abuse. Working with Sussex Police, we identified and helped prosecute those responsible. We welcome the guilty verdict and the subsequent indefinite ban from Broadfield Stadium.”
Details of Court Hearings
Liam Green, of Hickling Walk, Crawley, pled guilty at Crawley Magistrates’ Court on November 30 to using threatening or abusive words likely to cause harassment or distress, breaking the Public Order Act. He was ordered to pay a £26 surcharge, £85 court costs, and received the football ban.
Benjamin Lanceley, of Wakehurst Drive, and Yai Prentice, of Northgate Road, were handed their three-year bans in October for similar offences related to the Cleveland incident.
The clubs and police warn: troublemakers won’t be tolerated, and courts will crack down hard.
