Football fan had smoke grenade in his pants
A football fan who was caught with a smoke grenade in his pants as he tried to enter Molineux has been handed a three-year football banning order.
Birmingham City fan Rory Coates, aged 19, told police he brought the smoke bomb to the clash against rivals Wolves to "lighten the atmosphere" of the December 8 fixture. But he was stopped at the turnstiles by police officers after they were tipped off that some travelling fans planned to set off a smoke bomb at the game.
Wolverhampton Magistrates Court heard yesterday that Coates, of Callowbridge Road, Rubery, was already in the police's "at-risk" group of Birmingham City supporters after being drunk and disorderly at their match at Nottingham Forest.
Mr Kulbir Paul, prosecuting, said: "He said he took the smoke grenade to the match to lighten the atmosphere. Police said if it were set off, it could have incited violence, and disorder if it had been thrown at opposition. It would have created panic of a fire."
The court was told Coates was given a small pellet to use with the grenade at a pub in Birmingham before the match. The smoke gren-ade was bought before at a paint-balling venue. Mr An-drew Brocklehurst, defen-ding, said his client pleaded guilty early after accepting he had acted "stupidly".
Coates was banned from attending any regulated football match in England or Wales for three years, as well as visiting any city where Blues were playing away.
He was also ordered not to enter the exclusion zone at Blues' St Andrew's ground either three hours before kick-off or three hours after kick-off on a matchday. He was banned from attending any football match England were playing abroad.
He was ordered to pay a £200 fine, which was reduced because he pleaded guilty to having a prohibited smoke grenade as he entered a designated sports ground. He was also told to pay £85 court costs and a £20 victim surcharge.
