A football supporter who fell from the upper tier of a stand and onto a rival fan during FA Cup celebrations has been cleared of assault. Maidstone United fan John Ryan, 62, landed on Joanne Peters at Ipswich Town's Portman Road ground in January 2024. He had denied one count of assault by beating and one count of actual bodily harm and was found not guilty by a jury.
Incident during historic FA Cup win
The court heard how Ms Peters, who suffers from scoliosis, said she "could have died" during the incident. The game saw the National League South Stones win 2-1, securing one of the greatest results in the club's history.
CCTV footage shows the moment Mr Ryan tumbles over the railing and down the grandstand into the crowd of Ipswich supporters, including Ms Peters and her partner.
Defendant's account
Giving evidence during his trial, Mr Ryan said he had been a Maidstone supporter for about 12 years and had gone to the fourth round match against then-Championship club Ipswich with his son and two friends. The court heard how he had five cans of Fosters beer before the game, and described himself as being "tipsy but not drunk".
He told the court he had been with fellow supporters on the top tier of the Cobbold stand, five or six rows back from the front. Mr Ryan said when Maidstone scored shortly before half-time the fans around him went "crazy". During the celebrations, he had ended up on the stairs and wasn't sure if he bumped into someone or if his foot slipped.
He said: "It was chaotic. No-one was expecting that [goal]. I just couldn't stop myself and my leg hit the wall at the front of the tier. I fell and the next thing ended up on the roof. I didn't deliberately go anywhere."
Prosecution and victim statements
But prosecutor Simon Gladwell said: "It was your way of celebrating the goal and it wasn't an accident." He added that Ms Peters had suffered internal bruising and a trapped nerve, while her partner was left with "soreness and stiffness".
Ms Peters told the court she was watching the game with her partner and other Ipswich supporters in the bottom tier of the stand when Mr Ryan fell from the top tier and landed on them. She described what happened as "terrifying" and said her first thought was that the box behind them had collapsed.
Ms Peters said: "He landed on my right shoulder and my right side. I could have died. The pressure of the fall could have broken my neck."
She said that after the fall Mr Ryan, who she said was drunk, had "staggered" to his feet and was led away by stewards. Her partner Mr Rose told the court that Mr Ryan had kicked him in the back of the head as he landed, leaving him with a sore head and neck. Mr Ryan was emotional in court as the jury found him not guilty of both charges.
