Three men have been jailed for their roles in a “ferocious” assault that left a football fan with bleeding on the brain after the Scottish Cup quarter-final between Rangers and Celtic.
The attack took place outside Ibrox stadium in Glasgow on March 8, following Celtic’s 4-2 victory on penalties. Scott Dragsness, 55, and Ben Stanex, 24, both from Belfast, and Andrew Graham, 21, from Dundonald, admitted carrying out the attack.
Details of the assault
The Crown Office said the three men, all from Northern Ireland, knocked their 48-year-old victim to the ground as he tried to board a Celtic supporters’ bus. They then kicked and stamped on his head and body with such ferocity that he was left unconscious in the road, the court heard.
The men also shouted abuse at him relating to religion, with prosecutors telling the court the attack was a hate crime motivated by religious prejudice. The victim was taken to the nearby Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, where scans revealed a bleed on the brain.
Evidence and sentencing
A police drone monitoring the dispersal of fans from Ibrox stadium captured the entirety of the attack, while a further recording was made by a motorist stuck in traffic near the supporters’ bus.
Dragsness, Stanex and Graham all pleaded guilty to a charge of assault to severe injury and danger of life at Glasgow Sheriff Court on October 7. At the same court on Wednesday, Dragsness was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, while Stanex and Graham each received a 12-month sentence. The three were also handed seven-year football banning orders, meaning they cannot enter any football ground in the UK or travel to support any team.
Sheriff’s remarks
In his sentencing remarks published online, Sheriff Andrew McIntyre told the men they had each been involved in a “concerted act of serious violence”.
“As part of the attack the complainer was punched and fell to the ground,” he said. “Whilst he was on the ground the attack continued and he was repeatedly kicked on the head and body and he was stamped upon. Such was the ferocity of the attack that he lost consciousness and was seriously injured. To inflict such violence on a person was an inherently dangerous act which posed an obvious danger of the complainer’s life. To make matters worse, during the attack abuse relating to religion was shouted at the complainer.”
The sheriff told the trio the custodial sentences were necessary to protect the public and act as a deterrent to similar offending. He added that community sentences would be “inadequate” because they would “fail to reflect the seriousness of the crime or the community’s disapproval (of) sectarian, football related violence”.
Prosecutor’s statement
Fraser Gibson of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, procurator fiscal for Glasgow and Strathkelvin, said: “Football-related violence is a blight on Scotland’s communities. It will not be tolerated. The victim in this case was subjected to mindless sectarian thuggery by the three accused, who were visitors to the city. It should be understood that anyone who involves themselves in football-related disorder can expect to be held accountable by COPFS, Police Scotland and the courts using every tool available to us.”
