A man who fell from the upper tier of a stand during a football match and injured fans below has been found not guilty of assault.
Maidstone United supporter John Ryan fell on to Joanne Peters and her partner Aaron Rose at Ipswich Town’s Portman Road ground during an FA Cup clash in January 2024.
Ryan, 62, of Railway Street, Chatham, Kent, denied one count of assault by beating and one count of actual bodily harm and told Ipswich Crown Court he had been unable to stop himself during goal celebrations.
Ryan could be seen crying in the dock as the jury returned verdicts of not guilty to both charges and said afterwards “it’s been very stressful”.
Peters had been in tears when she told the court she initially thought the supporters’ box behind her had collapsed and she thought she “could have died”.
Ryan had been one of thousands of Maidstone United supporters who saw their non-league side win 2-1 over Ipswich, who were heading to promotion from the Championship that season.
He told the court the game had been “the biggest match in the club’s history” and he had been celebrating a “special” goal.
The jury was told he had been in Cobbold Stand upper tier when he fell, slid down the sloping roof that covers the boxes, and landed on the Ipswich supporters below.
Ryan told the jury he had been unsure if he had been pushed or his foot had slipped when he fell.