Now I'm not condoning this twats actions but please............

A hooligan has been jailed and banned from football matches for eight years for kicking a policeman in the face and inciting away fans.
Drunken Alan Downes climbed out of the Holmesdale Road stand at Selhurst Park to goad Southampton supporters during their match with Crystal Palace on February 2.
A video posted on the YouTube website showed the 34-year-old making obscene gestures at the fans, then falling over and staggering back into the stands.
Police caught up with Downes soon after and took him outside the ground where he became abusive.
While being driven to South Norwood police station he lashed out and kicked an officer in the face.
Downes pleaded guilty to a Section 5 public order offence and assault on a police officer.
He was jailed for four months and given an eight-year football banning order at Croydon Magistrates' Court last Friday.
Inspector Alan Goodell, who is in charge of the football unit at South Norwood police station, said it was a "huge result".
He added: "I've been involved in policing football for 18 years and I've never heard of a ban of that length.
"It's always nasty when someone kicks a police officer in the head. For the next eight years of his life he will be restricted."
Downes, who is a West Ham fan, explained his actions at his last appearance in court on February 8.
He said: "I do not usually go out drinking, [but] it was a friend's birthday party and one thing led to another. It's totally out of the ordinary for me.
"I do not think I will be going to any football matches for a while."
Downes, from Chatham, was serving a community order imposed last October and had a long list of previous convictions.
His football banning order means he will not be allowed to go to any game in the country for eight years and will have to report to police before international matches and hand in his passport which will be kept until the game is over.

Chatham, eh? That makes sense...

It is rather harsh, though. A month in the nick and a banning order of one or even three years I could just about understand, but 4 months/8 years is just crazy when our bloody jails are full to bursting!

The severity of the sentence was obviously because it was a copper he kicked, I'd say. Wonder if he had any previous convictions?

do you want to read through that article again? - a bit more thoroughly?....

doesn't sound like too much of an injustice to me

Sounds like he got off lightly to me. I'm always the first to moan about ott policing and sentences for football supporters, but getting 4 months in jail for kicking a police officer in the head isn't that much. To be honest, i'm suprised they didn't come down alot harder on him.

Agreed in this case it sounds like he got off lightly, reading between the lines he sounds like the scum I’d like to see banned permanently.

I think there should be a two strike rule so people don’t end up with long bans for being “drunk at football” but people who commit proper offences are kept away from the game.

However in regards to the jail time I believe all crimes should be treated equally, assault is assault and the sentence shouldn’t be increased if its football related, racially motivated or committed on a policeman.

Oh, right.

Yes, the context kind of changes things. If he was a recidivist then well, them's the breaks.

inciting violence
drunk and disorderly
already serving a community order and a long string of previous convictions
kicking a policeman in the head

and 4 months in prison. You're right it's crazy, should have been a lot more. 8 years ban at football matches seems fair though.

What were these previous convictions then?

The article appears to lead you rightly or wrongly into thinking they are for violent offences.

However no mention of what they are for can be found - can it?

Let's suppose that none of the previous convictions are for violent offences.

Do you think that the prison sentence and/or banning order are too severe?

You can justify the 4th month jail term, but the 8 years banning order is rather harsh. Would you be banned from the city center if you kicked a police officer in the face on a Friday night for eight years?

Silly lad though, although I can sortof sympathise with him. I had a m8 do a similar stupid thing after 7 hours in the pub, when a copper took his ticket off him......... bevvy+football+provocation = nightmare scenirio???????? :blink:

I'm the first to disagree with sentences for football related incidents if I think they're unjust and has been unfairly influenced by the fact it was a football fan, but if you look at all the factors this seems bang on. Can't believe anyone is questioning it to be honest.

Depends I don't know the enough of the story to make judgement either way,

i think the sentencing's pretty fair to be honest

I must admit, it sounds relatively fair to me.

Whatever people think of the police, they have to go into situations that the vast majority of us do not, and you can't go around kicking them in the face.

exactly......the police are still a bunch of salmons though :P