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A man was fined £350 and had a five year Football Banning Order (FBO) imposed earlier this week for shouting an offensive sectarian remark during a recent Hearts v Celtic fixture. It is the latest in a series of cases in which FBOs have been imposed.
On this particular occasion, the man was apparently spotted singing a song which included swearing and offensive sectarian lyrics during the match at Tynecastle Stadium.
FBOs have been around since March 2012, when the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012 came into force.
An FBO may be imposed by a court upon sentence to an offence which is football related. Before imposing such an order the court must be satisfied:
* That the person was aged 16 or over at the time of the offence;
* That the offence involved violence or disorder;
* That the offence related to a football match; and
* That there are reasonable grounds to believe that making the order will help prevent violence or disorder at or in connection with any football matches.
The FBO will provide that:
* The offender is prohibited from attending any regulated football match;
* The offender must report at a police station in connection with certain regulated football matches;
* The offender must report to a police station within 5 days of the order being made;
* The offender must notify certain prescribed information to the football banning orders authority within 7 days of the occurrence of any events that are relevant to the order e.g. change of address; and
*The offender must surrender their passport when relevant overseas matches are to be played. This requirement can be waived in exceptional circumstances, for example, where the person’s employment requires them to travel frequently.
If you have been charged with a football related offence and would like to speak to a criminal defence lawyer, give us a call on 01383 730466 (Dunfermline) or 01592 640680 (Kirkcaldy) or contact us online here..
