Maidstone supporter acquitted over fall from stand during Ipswich FA Cup tie

A Maidstone United supporter who fell from an upper tier at Ipswich Town's Portman Road stadium has been acquitted of two assault charges. BBC News reported that a jury at Ipswich Crown Court found John Ryan, 62, not guilty of assault by beating and actual bodily harm following the incident during an FA Cup match in January 2024.

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Ryan, from Chatham in Kent, landed on home supporters Joanne Peters and her partner Aaron Rose while celebrating a goal. Maidstone, then playing outside the Football League, won the tie 2-1 against an Ipswich side that would gain promotion from the Championship that season. Ryan was among thousands of visiting supporters who attended the match.

The court heard that Ryan fell from the Cobbold Stand's upper tier and travelled down the sloping roof above the hospitality boxes before landing in the seating below. He told jurors he had been unable to halt his fall and was uncertain whether someone had pushed him or his foot had slipped. He described the goal he had been celebrating as particularly significant for his club.

Peters told the court that she initially believed a box behind her had collapsed and feared the incident could have killed her. She reported whiplash symptoms, numbness in her hands and internal bruising. Rose told jurors he had been kicked in the head. Prosecutor Simon Gladwell had told the trial that Ryan drank five cans of lager before the match; Rose also testified that he believed Ryan was drunk.

According to the BBC's court report, Ryan cried as the jury delivered its verdicts. Speaking afterwards, he described the proceedings as stressful and apologised to Peters and Rose, maintaining that the fall had been accidental. He recalled going down steps, striking the barrier and falling over it. Ipswich installed glass screens at the foot of the upper tier shortly after the incident in an effort to improve safety.

The acquittal concerns the Portman Road incident. In a separate case last month, Ryan received a community order and a three-year ban from football grounds across the UK after an assault at Halling railway station in Kent. The BBC attributed those sentencing details to British Transport Police.