Two football hooligans who were involved in a massive matchday brawl were seen throwing chairs and punches at Liverpool FC fans, a court has heard.
Thomas Keane, 28, of Kendal Road, Kirkby, and John Murray, 32, of Leyburn Close, Kirkby, both appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to one count of affray. Iain Criddle, prosecuting, detailed that around two and a half hours after a football match between Everton and Liverpool at Anfield on April 24, 2022, fighting broke out between fans of the two teams.
CCTV footage showed a large group of Everton fans, some wearing all black and balaclavas, arriving at around 9pm outside the St Hilda pub, in Walton Road, known to be frequented by Liverpool fans. They forced their way into the pub and attacked people inside with one unknown male using a crutch or walking stick as a weapon.
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Keane could be seen throwing two chairs at people inside and tried to punch somebody indoors, while other unknown members of the group were brawling. Members of the public who had been drinking inside the pub retaliated and forced the group back outside.
Murray remained outside the pub throughout the incident but was seen throwing something at the door of the property and fighting with men outside. A large fight between the two groups continued but only one other person, a 17-year-old, has been sentenced in relation to this incident.
Mr Criddle said: “The defendants are Everton fans and attacked people in the pub because of their allegiance to a football team. “This is a football related incident supported by the fact that before the football match began, Mr Keane and Mr Murray had been seen by police officers involved in a ‘walk-up’ for Everton supporters to Anfield.
“That is a practice where fans walk to the ground together as a show of support. “Both defendants are known to police officers who have particular interest in football but Mr Keane is also known, not for his own bad behaviour but because of his association with other people who are described as ‘risk supporters’.”
Keane has no previous convictions, and Murray has one previous conviction for affray in 2017 for another football related incident following a game between Newcastle and Everton. For that, he was handed an eight month sentence suspended for 24 months, and banned from attending football games for three years.
Daniel Travers, defending Keane, said: “He was appalled himself, his recollection, he confesses, was hazy, but having seen the footage, as anyone in the courtroom would be, he was appalled by his behaviour and he fully accepts how stressful that would have been for anybody involved.”
Mr Travers added that Keane “has an excellent job and he is highly thought of” and cares for family members. He said Keane was abusing alcohol and cocaine at the time, but he has now addressed that behaviour.
Mr Travers continued: “This was a particularly difficult period in his life, he behaved appallingly in his drink. “This is still a young man who deserves the opportunity to prove himself to the court and his family that he will not offend in this way again.”
Carmel Wilde, defending Murray, said: “The defendant accepts he should not have got involved and this shouldn’t have happened. “Drinking too early, he indicated, is a trigger factor, and it probably didn’t help that Liverpool won 2-0 that day, though not an excuse.”
Ms Wilde said her client had told her he only became involved as a passer-by, but Judge Stuart Driver KC interjected to say he did not accept that assertion. He said: “Like everybody I saw, he chose to form part of a large aggressive group that committed an affray.”
Ms Wilde continued to say Murray has had a baby since this offence and his outlook has changed because of that, and the 32-year-old shed some tears in the dock at this point. She said his life now revolves around working and providing for his family, who are his priority.
Judge Driver said: “What the defendants need to understand is this is a group offence and they are all, to some extent, responsible for what the group did. “The court will also take into account the overall behaviour and the impact of the group which you deliberately aligned yourself with.
“This was sustained violence and one of the group had a weapon.” Keane was sentenced to ten months imprisonment suspended for 18 months, ordered to complete 30 rehabilitation activity days and 140 hours of unpaid work.
Murray was sentenced to eight months immediate imprisonment. A banning order barring Murray from attending any football matches was implemented for six years, and Keane was banned for three years.
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