Plymouth Argyle fan faces football ban after lashing out at 12-year-old Fleetwood Town supporter

Plymouth Argyle supporter Jack Thornton grabbed the boy by the scruff of his neck after the Cod Army’s victory over the Devon club at Highbury Stadium on August 6 last year.

He appeared before Blackpool Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (April 4) where he was told his behaviour could see him banned from attending football matches for at least three years.

Fleetwood won 2-1 and after the final whistle, Thornton – who made a 650 mile-round trip for the League One match – claimed he was verbally abused by a number of Fleetwood fans.

At court, he admitted lashing out and causing criminal damage worth £100 to a Fleetwood woman's mobile phone, which was smashed during the scuffle.

Magistrates heard the woman had been trying to intervene after Thornton grabbed the young Fleetwood fan. Her phone was knocked out of her hands and cracked on the concrete ground.

Lancashire Police told the court they want to impose a football banning order of at least three years on the Plymouth supporter.

Trevor Colebourne, defending, said: “My client is sorry for what he did . He lost it after suffering a lot of verbal abuse from the Fleetwood fan.”

The case against Thornton was adjourned until Tuesday, May 2 to allow pre-sentence reports to be prepared on him.