Jury considers verdicts over fan’s fall at Ipswich–Maidstone FA Cup tie

A jury has retired to consider its verdicts in the trial of a Maidstone United supporter who fell from an upper tier onto Ipswich Town fans during an FA Cup match at Portman Road. BBC News reported that John Ryan, 62, denies one count of assault by beating and one count of actual bodily harm. No verdict had been reported in the BBC's account.

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The incident happened in January 2024, when non-league Maidstone beat Ipswich 2-1. Ipswich Crown Court heard that Ryan had been celebrating a goal in the upper tier of the Cobbold Stand before falling, sliding down a sloping roof and landing among supporters below. The jury was shown footage of him moving down and off the roof between the stand's upper and lower sections.

Joanne Peters told the court that Ryan landed on her shoulder and that she initially believed the box behind her had collapsed. She described being terrified by the impact and fearing that her neck could have been broken. According to the BBC's reporting, the court heard that Peters, who has scoliosis, experienced symptoms of whiplash, numbness in her hands and internal bruising.

Peters' partner, Aaron Rose, told jurors that he had been kicked in the back of the head. Prosecutor Simon Gladwell had previously told the trial that Ryan drank five cans of lager before the game. Asked about Ryan's condition, Rose said he believed the defendant was drunk, citing his behaviour afterwards. That assessment was Rose's evidence to the jury, rather than a finding by the court.

Giving his own account, Ryan said he could not explain whether he had bumped into someone or slipped during the celebration. He told the court that he went down the steps, could not stop and struck a wall with his leg before tipping over. Ryan also described injuries to his arm and leg that caused him to miss work.

The prosecution argued that Ryan had moved towards the roof deliberately and said two other men reached it during the same celebration but were stopped from going further. Ryan disputed that account, maintaining that momentum carried him into a roll. The BBC reported that one additional assault-by-beating charge had been dropped. The remaining allegations were left for the jury to decide.