Football fans jailed for firing flares

Two football fans who fired distress flares into the crowd at a Sheffield derby have each been jailed for 18 months.

Dale Lax, 24, and Philip Lee, 23, both from Eckington, admitted causing a public nuisance by firing the flares into the group of Sheffield Wednesday fans at Bramall Lane.

Lee also admitted a charge of causing actual bodily harm after one of the flares hit a 13-year-old girl in the head, causing her facial injuries.

The men were also banned from football matches for six years under the Football Spectators Act.

Actions 'beggared belief'

The offences took place at a match between Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday at Bramall Lane on 17 January.

Emma Barker, the young Owls fan struck by one of the flares, now has a permanent scar and suffers from headaches.

Sentencing the pair at Sheffield Crown Court, Judge Goldsack said their actions "beggared belief".

He told them they could have caused appalling injuries, a fire in the ground or even serious crowd trouble between the rival sets of fans.