Police over reaction at end of today's game

[brian green]

Right, I'm going to bed in a minute.   What I saw with my own eyes no more than twenty feet from the incident was first one then two then five then ten then more stewards and police pile into and on top of Lee.   The best way I can describe the violence committed on him was that he was like a ball in a rugby scrum or a rag doll being pulled apart by dogs then heaved and dragged by whatever part of his anatomy they could grab along the concrete between the seats then heaved over the steel barrier between the home and away fans at which point they realized they were being filmed and allowed him to get to his feet.   In my book that is a pasting.   Villa fans you disappoint me.

[dave.woodhall]

Right, I'm going to bed in a minute.   What I saw with my own eyes no more than twenty feet from the incident was first one then two then five then ten then more stewards and police pile into and on top of Lee.   The best way I can describe the violence committed on him was that he was like a ball in a rugby scrum or a rag doll being pulled apart by dogs then heaved and dragged by whatever part of his anatomy they could grab along the concrete between the seats then heaved over the steel barrier between the home and away fans at which point they realized they were being filmed and allowed him to get to his feet.   In my book that is a pasting.   Villa fans you disappoint me.

And you did the right thing by filming, pointing out to the police/stewards that you were doing so and making sure they were identified.

[Stu]

Was that you in the cap, Brian?

[Ad@m]

I honestly cannot believe that we now are in times when Villa fans will not stick up for their own kind and the consensus of opinion is that he broke the law so he got what was coming to him.

It's not a case of not sticking up for Villa fans.

A video was posted with the description of someone being arrested for breaking the law, then the video shows the police doing very little whatsoever.  In that first post there isn't much the guy, or anyone else, can complain about.

If, as you say, the guy was dealt with overly physically then that seems out of order but the initial post didn't state any of that.

[LupoldMox]

Adam - the initial post asked the question of how many policeman it takes to arrest a man for smoking. The video shows the answer. Too many. It was an over reaction. And it made everyone who saw the whole incident feel even worse about a pretty crap 60 minutes.

[Ad@m]

Adam - the initial post asked the question of how many policeman it takes to arrest a man for smoking. The video shows the answer. Too many. It was an over reaction. And it made everyone who saw the whole incident feel even worse about a pretty crap 60 minutes.

But what the video doesn't show (and videos rarely do in these circumstances) is the context.  The 10 minutes preceding the start of your video could've involved him kicking off on the one steward who asked him to stop smoking and so the police were called in to protect the steward who was only doing his job.

Now people who witnessed the event say it wasn't like this but your post showed a video of a guy in cuffs with a few coppers and stewards hanging around and the comment that he'd been nicked for breaking the law.  It's hardly damning proof of police brutality.

[Greg N'Ash]

Have to agree. If someone is smoking you tell them to put it out. If they refuse then you get heavy and escort them out the ground - i wouldn't have thought it would take more than a couple of people though. You don't call out half the police force in London to deal with it. But as Brian said, smoking is demonised now and the jobsworth halfwits who do these sort of jobs and work for the police lap up all that stuff.

[Handsworth Wood Villa]

The police are bullies.

[PaulMcGrathsNo5Shirt]

I'm guessing there were so many stewards and police there was because it was near to where the fans were segregated.
I'm sorry, but the reason it all kicked off was because a football fan (who happened to be a Villa fan) was in the wrong, the police may have over-reacted and two wrongs don't make a right.
I went to Deportiva La Coruna a few years back and got battered by a copper (along with other Villa fans) with his truncheon as he was trying to move the crowd forward and couldn't/wouldn't speak English and I couldn't understand his Spanish. That was an over reaction!

[PeterWithesShin]

I remember being at the Reebok for the semi and sparking up. At the time you could still smoke in most grounds so I had no idea it was no smoking there. I was in the seats and a steward in a gangway saw me and motioned to put it out. I mouthed "can't you smoke in here?" he shook his head, I put cig out. All done with the minimum of fuss and plenty of politeness.

I did spark up again at 2 nil down though and when a fan behind me said you couldn't smoke I said it's okay, this is a lucky one. We promptly scored about 30 seconds later prompting much hailing of the lucky cigarette (include arms up and done in worship).

[BC54 VFC]

I didn't post the clip asking for future action or to make an official police complaint. I posted to ask if anyone knew if the guy got home OK. It was the end of the game, we were all pissed off, and the last thing you want to see is a fellow Villa fan getting dragged off in handcuffs (which he "overwhelmingly" was)

Lee, who I had never met before today, was sitting directly in front of me on the coach on the way down. Mainly as I was on my own - my two sons had gone to the match their own separate ways - I was chatting to him and his mates, one of whom was sitting next to me, throughout the journey. Despite the fact that they were all in their early 20's and I am 30 years older we had a good talk, which made the journey go much quicker. They were a good set of lads and certainly Lee did not come across as aggressive in any way, albeit it was clearly rather silly of him to light up whilst still in the ground.

Unfortunately he was not released in time to catch the coach home.

[Dave Clark Five]

I went to Deportiva La Coruna a few years back and got battered by a copper (along with other Villa fans) with his truncheon as he was trying to move the crowd forward and couldn't/wouldn't speak English and I couldn't understand his Spanish. That was an over reaction!

I have got a photo of someone with some bruises on the shoulder from that game.
We were standing at the back of that stand when they came steaming in for no reason at all. Mind you, it is expected in countries like that.

   

[Percy McCarthy]

Sounds like disgusting behaviour from the police and stewards. I got caught a few times when these regulations came in, and all stewards needed to do was ask me to stop. The coppers obviously knew what they were doing was over the top, as they moderated their behaviour when made aware they were being filmed.

Brian and his son's integrity should never be in doubt on this.

[olaftab]

I tought the Police and Stewards were very good yesterday.

[TimTheVillain]

Give a 'man' a uniform ...

The word 'PROPORTIONATE' would be lost on them Brian, 'PROPORTIONATE' is probably 6 coppers holding him down , 4 frisking him for offensive 'weapons' - cigarettes in this case - and another 6 beating him to a pulp for offending a Stadium Rule.

Mad days.

 

Which isn't happening in that clip, so please, stick to the facts.

ok, you own this site.

I've just seen the video and the guy was surrounded by police and stewards and possibly had to go to a police station afterwards and then, who knows , and just for smoking a cigarette.

As Pauline says, aren't there more important things to do ?