Maidstone supporter John Ryan cleared over fall onto Ipswich fans

Maidstone United supporter John Ryan has been acquitted of two assault charges arising from his fall from an upper tier at Ipswich Town’s Portman Road during an FA Cup match in January 2024. According to BBC News reporting from Ipswich Crown Court, the jury found him not guilty of assault by beating and actual bodily harm.

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Ryan, 62, from Chatham in Kent, had denied both charges. He fell onto Ipswich supporters Joanne Peters and her partner Aaron Rose while celebrating during Maidstone’s 2-1 victory. The result gave the non-league visitors a win against a side that went on to secure promotion from the Championship that season. Ryan was among thousands of travelling Maidstone fans at the match.

The court heard that Ryan had been in the upper section of the Cobbold Stand before falling over the edge and sliding down the sloping roof above the boxes. He then landed on supporters in the lower section. Giving evidence, he said he could not stop himself and was unsure whether he had been pushed or had slipped. Jurors were shown footage of the fall.

Peters told the trial that she initially believed a box behind her had collapsed and feared she might have died. She described whiplash symptoms, numbness in her hands and internal bruising. Rose said he had been kicked in the head. Prosecutor Simon Gladwell told the court that Ryan had consumed five cans of lager before the game; Rose also gave evidence that he believed Ryan was drunk.

The BBC reported that Ryan cried as the verdicts were delivered. Speaking outside court, he apologised to Peters and Rose and described what happened as an accident. He recalled moving down the stairs, hitting a barrier and falling over it. Ipswich installed glass screens at the bottom of the Cobbold Stand’s upper tier shortly after the incident in an effort to improve safety.

The acquittal was separate from another case reported by the BBC. Last month, Ryan and two other men were sentenced for assaulting a man at Halling railway station in Kent. British Transport Police said Ryan received a community order and a three-year ban from football grounds across the UK in that case.