Nottingham Forest fan from Derbyshire who invaded pitch against Derby County avoids banning order

A LIFELONG Nottingham Forest fan who lives in Derbyshire has avoided a football banning order after making an obscene gesture towardDerby County fans when he ran on to the pitch during a game between the sides.

Twenty-year-old Joshua Brough, of Heanor, ran on to the City Ground pitch during the Forest v Rams match on September 14 and made a crude hand signal after opposition supporters chanted "you fat b*****d" in his direction.

Brough, who hugged another pitch invader before being tackled to the ground by stewards, said he was caught up "in the heat of the moment".

PC Jon Sleigh – who is Nottinghamshire Police's football intelligence officer for Nottingham Forest – said Brough was one of three fans who ran on to the pitch during the game and that the behaviour merited a football banning order, which has a minimum term of three years.

Banning orders had not been sought for the other fans.

He said: "In the last 25 years I have never seen anything like that from Forest fans either at home or away. Had he [Brough] got any closer to the Derby fans there would have been more incursions.

"It's a very, very difficult fixture to police and behaviour such as that makes our job more difficult."

Brough, of Peatburn Avenue, Heanor, told Nottingham Magistrates' Court yesterday that he had gone to the game with his dad and had five pints of lager before kick-off but that he was not "wasted" and could not explain why he had invaded the pitch.

The court also heard that Brough had never been involved in any football-related incidents before.

In his defence, Shabeer Qureshi said: "A football banning order should be used if the court feels it's necessary to prevent any further violence or disorder. A one-off incident would not be enough. It seems rather odd that my client appears to be singled out simply because he's had banter with the Derby fans."

Sentencing Brough, District Judge Morris Cooper said Brough was not deserving of a banning order. 

He said: "It seems to me that the defence was right. The offence did not involve any violence or provocation."

Brough – who pleaded guilty to going on to the playing area at a football match – was fined £150 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85 and a surcharge of £20.

A spokesman for Nottingham Forest said the club would review whether any further action was necessary.