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Gang that planned train riot face jail
Justin Davenport5 Dec 2008
A gang of football thugs who attacked rival fans on a train in a pre-planned "mass riot" are facing jail today.
The five men are the last members of a group of 15 Crystal Palace supporters who kicked, punched and head-butted Charlton Athletic opponents.
Children and pensioners cowered in fear as the gang rampaged through a train at Sydenham station attacking random groups of fans in September last year.
A month later the men were arrested by British Transport Police in a series of dawn raids across south London, Sussex and Kent.
The five men appeared at Southwark crown court charged with violent disorder. One pleaded guilty and four were convicted. An earlier hearing heard how members of the public tried to escape the gang, who attacked in a co-ordinated "pincer movement" before the Championship game.
Among those who were cornered was a father and his two grown-up children. One of his sons suffered a suspected fractured nose and was left with blood pouring down his face.
The CCTV footage of the riot which helped convict the gang showed parents trying to shield their children and drinks flung across the carriage.
Det Insp Keith Bennett of the transport police said the train contained Charlton Athletic supporters travelling to a game at Crystal Palace as well as ordinary members of the public including women, children and the elderly.
He said: "Several passengers were head-butted, punched and verbally abused during the fracas." Eleven men pleaded guilty and four went to trial after being charged with violent disorder.
Those already sentenced have been given prison terms of between 24 and 40 months for what the judge described as "mob conduct at its worst".
They have also been issued football banning orders, preventing them from attending matches or travelling by train for up to ten years on match days.
Det Insp Bennett said the sentences and bans should serve as a warning to hooligans that violence and disorder on the railways will not be tolerated.
He said: "Members of the travelling public, including law-abiding football fans, have the right to travel in safety on match days. Mick Everett, Charlton Athletic Football Club's operation director, said: "There is no place in football, nor indeed society, for violent individuals such as these."
The men found guilty were Ashley White, 21, of Purley, Carl Thomas, 40, of Thornton Heath, Clive Taylor, 35, of Thornton Heath and Darren Bush, 39, of South Norwood.
Reader views (25)
The Duke of Wellington described his army as "scum" as they looted and raped their drunken way to Waterloo, to be saved from defeat at the last minute by the Prussians. They were just the football morons of the day! So what's new?
- Frederick, London UK, 08/12/2008 08:31
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I can remember 40 yrs ago going to a Tottenham/Sunderland game and there were fans of both sides MIXING TOGETHER with absolutey NO VIOLENCE. The only reason I vowed I wouldn't ever go to another football match was because it was TOO COLD!!! WHAT HAS GONE WRONG????
- Barb, sydney, Australia,, 08/12/2008 06:58
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I am sure that many genuine supporters will feel ashamed at what these mindless morons did on that train. I cant believe the ages of these gutless thugs...... don't they have better things to do? Oh no why did I say that - these morons just seem hell bent on causing trouble, beating up innocent people because they happen to support a particular team - haven't they grown up or is football their excuse to have a punch up?
- Barbara, sydney, Australia,, 08/12/2008 06:54
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Jenkins is an obvious troll in this matter. people's attention would be better diverted to the question of why we pay British Transport police to stand around at ticket barriers checking to see if you're a thief or not, when they should be patrolling the trains making sure you dont get robbed or beaten up.
I have asked several transport police if I can pay to have them stand in my shop and asking people to turf out whats in their pockets to make sure they paid for their purchases. They are expensive ticket collectors that should be put to better use.
- Brian Davis, London, UK, 08/12/2008 03:47
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Two years in the big house for voluntarily being stupid in public. That serves those cretin right!
- Pat Riley, United States, 08/12/2008 01:09
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There were "football casuals" in the 1980's. If you do a keyword internet search, you will be bound to find more than one website reminiscing about the "good old days" before the rave scene took over. They did have two parents, but the father was usually working abroad or offshore for weeks at a time.
- Michael, Edinburgh, 08/12/2008 00:32
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Mr Jenkins, are you suggesting that there was ever a time when Britain wasn't feral? Organised 'football' hooliganism and gang fights have been a cultural phenomenon since the sixties. Binge drinking, fighting, vice and drugs have been cultural cornerstones of this great and vile land since the channel widened and separated us from the rest of Europe. We are a horrible lot, but it was ever thus.
- Benjo, London, 05/12/2008 17:24
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They are just gutless individuals who roam around in packs. I cannot believe some of them are middle aged men. Hate to think if they have children of their own and how they have been raised.
- P.Robinson, Northants, 05/12/2008 17:20
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Tories were in power in the 70's and there was much more football violence then! Stop trying to score cheap political points.
- Charlie, London, 05/12/2008 17:08
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Aren't they banged away yet? Each of them deserves at least ten years jail
- Keith Price, Luton, England, 05/12/2008 16:56
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This is the freedom that our grandparents fought for? They should be sent to war zones to find out exactly why violence is so abhorrent. I hope they enjoy their stay in jail. Trash, trash, trash. I bet they blame the government or something, and are out in a month.
- Bob, Oxford, UK, 05/12/2008 16:51
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So true William. There was no such thing as football hooliganism thirty or forty years ago, and it was completely nonexistent during the Thatcher government when everybody had jobs and read Shakespeare. Events like the Heysel disaster simply didn't occur.
It's all New Labour's fault.
- Pw, LONDON, 05/12/2008 16:51
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William Jenkins says it all. Just look at the reports of The Karen Matthews case in today's news,the country is self-destructing.May 1997 was a grim day for Britain.
- Martin, London, 05/12/2008 16:46
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something needs to be done. the country is filled with a generation with no education, who are just living on the dole and watching idiotic celebrity programmes.
- William Jenkins, LONDON
think you will find quite a few football hooligans have good jobs and can even read and write. infact its best you get your facts right b4 you post on the subject fella
- Steve, braintee, 05/12/2008 16:41
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William, are you just posting anti labour nonsense? I'm no fan of theirs but what on earth this has to do with the current government is beyond me.
Football violence was a lot worse under the previous government. In the 80's, come Saturday there'd be running battles in town centres, on trains, in stations, you name it.
There are numerous valid reasons to get at Brown and co, but you just sound like the never ending people on here blaming them for everything. If you sneezed it would be because 'nu-labour' have made things more dusty than under the Tories.
- Dunc, London, 05/12/2008 16:40
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The guilty should be sued for repayment of personal injury as well as damage to public property. Even if they are on the dole, these types sometimes come into a bit of money.... and the injured parties should make sure they get reimbursed should that be the case.
- Kari, nyc, 05/12/2008 16:20
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Jail seems a bit over the top. all they were doing was having a bit of a ruck. nothing normal to any saturday night in most town centres.......
- Jonny, London, 05/12/2008 16:15
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Laughable comments from William Jenkins, exactly the type of brainwashed, moronic, over the top nonsense that is not needed to sort this type of issues
Firstly, football violence like this incident has been happening since the good ol days of the 60's, much worse so back then.
Secondly, football hooligans come from all different backgrounds, dole cheating layabouts up to city bankers.
It's these type of brainless comments that stop people from tackling issues head instead of being caught up in a wave of 'HANG EM' 'WASNT LIKE THAT IN MY DAY' 'MINDLESS MORONS' comments
- Lb, London, 05/12/2008 16:05
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William, the darkest days for football violence were the 1980s. The men convivted weren't teenagers, they were grown men. Not every ill in this country is down to the present government.
- Adrian, London, 05/12/2008 16:03
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I was confronted last Friday by upto ten fifteen year old kids, they were looking for a fight. I could see them egging on the tallest lad in the group to challenge us, just as myself and my friend approached them. We decided to walk into the middle of them and call their bluff, I think if we backed off they would have chased us. This time it worked, but that could have been either because they had no weapons, or because the big guy bottled it. We put on a brave face but we were scared stiff. This is not isolated, it is not scare mongering, these things happen everyday, I do not have a single friend who has not been either threatened or beaten up over the last five or six years.It is Friday again, I wonder what is in store when I walk down my street tonight ?.
- John, London, 05/12/2008 15:57
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But a hundred years ago, the country was "filled with a generation with no education".
Stop assuming a golden age. Only the circumstances change.
And maybe only a "SureStart" system from Labour, or something similar from the Tories (if IDS gets his way) can bring about a long-term change.
- Jay, London, 05/12/2008 15:40
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As a Crystal Palace Supporter of long standing, I am sickened and very saddened that these 'people' are associated with the club I love. My sympathies go out to those that suffered at the hands of these animals.
- John Strevens, Chatham, Kent, 05/12/2008 15:32
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what has football violence got to do with the current generation? it was a LOT worse 20-30 years ago.
- H, London, 05/12/2008 15:09
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another example of feral britain and how the current generation act.
there are no morals, honour or respect in todays society.
something needs to be done. the country is filled with a generation with no education, who are just living on the dole and watching idiotic celebrity programmes.
The current goverment have let the entire country down.
- William Jenkins, LONDON, 05/12/2008 14:00
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So much for "great" britain.
- Zaphod, zanzibar, 05/12/2008 13:00
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