The intruder who disrupted the World Snooker Championship final has been identified as an OnlyFans star, who claimed she was prepared to take her top off before being stopped by security staff.
The opening session of the final at the Crucible Theatre was interrupted on Sunday when a shout was heard from the crowd about the £180-a-year TV licence fee. The outburst occurred in the third frame as Wu Yize prepared to take a shot, leading 67-31 against Shaun Murphy.
'Who f***ing pays their TV licence anyway,' a woman appeared to shout, prompting groans from the audience. Referee Rob Spencer, a former police officer, quickly ran over to prevent her from approaching the players. 'Nobody pays their TV licence,' the woman added as security intervened to remove her.
OnlyFans Star Confesses
Sasha Swan, an OnlyFans content creator, has since shared an expletive-laden rant confirming she was responsible and had planned to take her top off. 'Yeah it was me, I did streak the snooker with my team,' Swan said. 'I didn't manage to get them out because they kicked me out quickly. But who the f*** does pay their TV licence? Nobody pays their TV licence. I don't care. F*** the BBC, f*** the snooker, f*** everybody. Get on my Twitter right now and you'll see me and Ronnie O'Sullivan. I wish he was there. Big up to Ronnie O'Sullivan.'
The BBC did not show footage of Swan being led out of the Crucible, but commentator John Parrott apologised to viewers following the disruption. 'Sorry for that minor disturbance, it's all sorted,' Parrott said after applause had died down.
Second Incident in Two Days
This disruption was the second incident in as many days at the World Snooker Championships. During the closing stages of Wu's semi-final with Mark Allen, a bizarre outburst came from the crowd. As Wu was about to take a shot, a cry of 'never forget the Epstein Files' was heard, referencing millions of documents detailing the activities of the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. Referee Marcel Eckardt ordered the removal of the spectator, saying, 'Can you get this person out please, now please.'
Three years ago, the World Championships were hit by protests from the group 'Just Stop Oil', where one protester jumped onto a snooker table and covered it in orange powder, while another attempted to damage another table. The pair were sentenced to community orders.
Play quickly resumed after the brief interruption, and Wu established a 10-7 lead over Shaun Murphy at the end of the first day of the final.
