BANNED: Football hooligan caught by undercover police

Jack Hart is now not allowed to attend any match at any level in the UK or abroad for the next five years after he was caught up in trouble at the European Championships in France last summer.

The 26-year-old has also been barred from going in Blackpool and Fleetwood town centres on home match days. Hart, of Bramley Avenue in Fleetwood, must also surrender his passport to police within the next five days after Blackpool magistrates imposed the order yesterday morning.

When approached by The Gazette for a comment yesterday, Bolton fan Hart swore and said: “Russians attacking us and it’s the English that get banned. This country and its justice system is a joke. No back bone.”

The court heard how Hart, who had been subject of a similar order from 2010 to 2014, was identified from video filmed by undercover officers at Euro 2016 in France. He was seen throwing bottles as part of violence that led local police to tear gas England fans, and was charged under the Football Spectators Act 1989 for his part in the disorder.

Prosecuting for the police, Luke McGrath said the identification process had taken some time, while there had also been a lengthy liaison with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Hart, who did not oppose the order or say anything during the hearing, must also stay away from Fleetwood’s Highbury stadium on match days, and cannot follow the team when they play away.

He must also tell police of any change of address, the court ruled. “Hart has to surrender his passport by reporting to Fleetwood police station within five days,” a spokesman for Lancashire Police said.

The ban on match days is in place three hours before and three hours after a game, the spokesman confirmed said.

He added: “This order will be circulated to local officers and the club, and Hart could be reported for any breaches.”

Sickening clashes between rival fans took place on three consecutive nights in Marseille, ahead of the England versus Russia game, while fighting also broke out inside the Stade Velodrome after the referee brought the match to an end at 1-1 on Saturday, June 11. A number of Russian fans were arrested and detained following the violence, while a number of English fans were also jailed, deported, and banned from France.