A football supporter who fell from the upper level of a stand and injured spectators beneath him has been cleared of assault.
Maidstone United fan John Ryan landed on Joanne Peters and her partner, Aaron Rose, after falling at Ipswich Town’s Portman Road stadium during an FA Cup match in January 2024.
The 62-year-old, from Railway Street in Chatham, Kent, denied charges of assault by beating and causing actual bodily harm. He told Ipswich Crown Court that he could not prevent the fall while celebrating a goal.
Ryan wept in the dock when jurors acquitted him of both offences. After the hearing, he described the experience as extremely stressful.
Peters became emotional while giving evidence, saying she first believed the supporters’ box behind her had collapsed and feared she might die.
Ryan was among thousands of Maidstone United fans who watched the non-league club secure a 2-1 victory over Ipswich, a team on course for promotion from the Championship that season.
He described the fixture as the most important game in Maidstone United’s history and said he was celebrating an exceptional goal.
Jurors heard that Ryan was in the upper tier of the Cobbold Stand when he fell, moved down the sloping roof above the hospitality boxes and landed among Ipswich supporters below.
Ryan said he could not determine whether someone had pushed him or whether he had lost his footing before the fall.
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