Two men who snuck onto the roof of Anfield Stadium to watch a Liverpool FC game have been warned that they could have been killed.
Kain Hogg and Stuart Parr donned hi-vis jackets in order to gain entry to the ground via the construction site at the Anfield Road End before clambering on top of the Kenny Dalglish Stand and taking in the Reds' Champions League quarter final against Real Madrid. A judge yesterday told them that their actions were "ludicrously dangerous".
Liverpool Magistrates' Court heard on Wednesday that police were contacted by the club after the friends, aged 23 and 21 respectively, were seen on the roof in hi-vis clothing midway through the 2-5 defeat on February 21 this year. Ed Rattigan, prosecuting, described how stewards and an officer had to clamber up a ladder to reach them with a drone also being deployed to investigate the incident.
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Hogg and Parr, both of Viola Street in Bootle, then confirmed that they did not have tickets for the match and were arrested. They claimed that they had climbed over a fence at the adjacent building site in order to gain illegal entry.
Mr Rattigan said their behaviour could have led to supporters being evacuated during the "extremely high profile event". He also highlighted the "risk to the defendants themselves", as well as the "significant risk to supporters if they had fallen into the crowded stands below".
Hogg - who wore a black face mask in the dock and appeared with his hair dyed blue - is a well-known urban explorer and YouTuber, with video footage of their exploits later being posted online. Marcella Salter, defending both housemates, told the court that her clients have "personal issues" and added: "They were foolish.
"It was a high profile game. Thankfully, nobody was in fact hurt.
"They complied and cooperated with police throughout. There is some work that needs to be done.
"Both defendants are currently unemployed but are actively seeking employment, and hopefully employment will come. Both have said they wish to apologise for their behaviour and want to put matters behind them so that they can move forward.
"Their hobby, which is how they got there, is no longer a hobby either of them engage in. They have stopped that because they have realised the risk to themselves and the public at large."
Hogg and Parr admitted obtaining services dishonestly, causing a public nuisance and being found in enclosed premises during an earlier hearing. They were both handed 12-month community orders with 280 hours of unpaid work and rehabilitation activity requirements of up to 15 days, as well as being told to pay £120 in court costs and victim surcharges of £114.
District Judge Wendy Lloyd described them as "two astoundingly stupid young men" whose actions "could have led to abject mayhem". Sentencing, she added: "You are perhaps comparatively young and have a lot to learn.
"Your behaviour was dangerous and outrageous. You didn't know if you were going to fall down and bring debris down on others.
"It was ludicrously dangerous activity. You could have killed yourselves and you could have hurt or killed others, and certainly a police officer was put at risk.
"You both have some difficulties. Fortunately, you were brought down without there being any disruption within the crowd or any damage being caused whatsoever.
"The story could have been a different one, but it seems fair to bear in mind what did happen and not what could have happened. The next possibility would surely be imprisonment."
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