TWELVE men convicted over a football hooligan attack on rival fans will be banned from Southend United for life, the club’s chairman has vowed.
Throughout the trial, jurors were told the men supported the club, although some of them had stopped attending Roots Hall and some were banned.
Jamie Chambers, Greg Allen, Philip McGill, Scott Nicholls and Matthew Petchey all had banning orders for offences committed at home or away games.
Club chairman Ron Martin said: “We would never tolerate hooliganism and I can absolutely confirm if any of these individuals prove to be so-called ‘supporters’ of Southend United Football Club I will not hesitate in issuing lifetime bans. “
After the trial, Det Chief Insp Martin Passmore described the men as acting “like a pack of animals.”
He angrily dismissed the myth, spread by the defendants, that Mr Dobbin had been involved in earlier trouble.
He said: “I want to make it absolutely clear that there is no information and no evidence that remotely suggests that Simon Dobbin is anything other than a thoroughly decent, upstanding man and he had done absolutely wrong on that day.
“He was a totally innocent victim of a pre-planned attack.”
Mr Passmore said the probe into who caused the injuries is not over and urged anyone with information to come forward.
Mr Dobbin’s daughter Emily said: “I am tortured everyday having to watch him be so frustrated and angry.
“He cries at anything violent on TV and struggles to watch the football. I’ve never seen my dad cry before this. I believe he is fully aware of his circumstances and I know that he is the same man I once knew. He is trapped in his body and it’s so difficult to see.”
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