Football fan handed three-year banning order (From Bridgwater Mercury)

Football fan handed three-year banning order

3:10pm Wednesday 1st February 2012 in News

A FOOTBALL fan from Bridgwater has been handed a fresh three-year banning order after he attempted to travel abroad to watch his beloved Birmingham City play in a European match.

Stephen Troughton, 51, of Old Taunton Road, admitted six breaches of an existing banning order when he appeared at North Somerset Magistrates' Court on Monday.

The court heard how Troughton was among a group of fans stopped by British Transport Police officers at St Pancras International train station in October last year as Birmingham City prepared to take on Belgian side Club Brugge in the Europa League.

Troughton's details were checked as he attempted to board a Eurostar service and he was arrested for breaching his order.

Further enquiries revealed he had failed to notify the authorities of a change of address, had failed to surrender his passport on five occasions between August and October 2011, and had also failed to report to Weston police station.

In interview, Troughton told officers it was too expensive for him to travel to Weston from his home in Bridgwater and said he did not think the banning order applied to matches when Birmingham were playing in Europe.

Magistrates handed him a fresh three-year banning order, told him to carry out 60 hours community service and ordered him to pay £85 in prosecution costs.

Under the terms of the latest banning order, Troughton must not enter any premises in which football is being played in England, Scotland or Wales and is barred from parts of Birmingham on days when Birmingham City play at home.

Speaking after the case, British Transport Police officer Dan Hursit said: “Our officers work hard with our colleagues from other forces around to country to enforce the conditions for banning orders, including intelligence-sharing and joint operations at ports when matches are being played abroad.”