Image source, Shaun Whitmore/BBCImage caption, John Ryan was cleared of assault following a trial at Ipswich Crown Court
- Published14 October 2026, 11:33 BST
A man who fell from the upper tier of a grandstand during a football match and injured fans below has been found not guilty of assault.
Maidstone United supporter John Ryan fell on to Joanne Peters and her partner Aaron Rose at Ipswich Town's Portman Road ground during an FA Cup clash in January 2024.
Ryan, 62, of Railway Street, Chatham, Kent, denied one count of assault by beating and one count of actual bodily harm and told Ipswich Crown Court he had been unable to stop himself during goal celebrations.
Ryan could be seen crying in the dock as the jury returned verdicts of not guilty to both charges.
Image source, Tony O'Brien/ReutersImage caption, The jury was been shown footage of Ryan sliding down and off the sloping roof of the boxes between the upper and lower tiers of the stand (pictured during another match)
Ryan had been one of thousands of Maidstone United supporters who saw their non-league side win 2-1 over Ipswich, who were heading to promotion from the Championship that season.
He told the court the game had been "the biggest match in the club's history" and he had been celebrating a "special" goal.
The jury was told he had been in Cobbold Stand upper tier when he fell, slid down the sloping roof that covers the boxes, and landed on the Ipswich supporters below.
Ryan told the jury he had been unsure if he had been pushed or his foot had slipped when he fell.
Prosecutor Simon Gladwell previously told the trial Ryan had drunk five cans of lager ahead of the match.
Peters said she had suffered "elements of whiplash" as well as numbness in her hands and internal bruising, while Rose told the jury he had been kicked in the head.
Rose believed Ryan had been drunk and told the trial "it wouldn't take a scientist to work it out".
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