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Sunday, 14th March 2010

SAFC fans' fury after Newcastle police clash

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Published Date:
12 August 2009
Three supporters were hospitalised after a flare-up on the way home from a friendly match at the weekend.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating the incident, which happened at Newcastle Central Station as 40 supporters returned from Sunderland's game at Hearts, Edinburgh.

>> Watch shocking video of the incident

Northumbria Police say four of their dogs were injured by violent fans intent on causing trouble, and vowed to track down those responsible and to get them banned from football.

However, many Black Cats supporters have accused officers of sparking the incident by mismanaging the situation and using excessive force.

They today spoke of submitting formal complaints and legal action.

Police said the injuries sufered by the fans who needed hospital treatment were "not thought to be serious."

But self-employed joiner Allan Brown fears he may be off work for months with injuries he says were caused by an officer's baton.

The 31-year-old, from Seaham, said he was kept in hospital overnight and has been left with an eight-inch and a seven-inch wound to his head.

Mr Brown claimed the problem was caused by police with unmuzzled dogs behind the fans forcing them forward into another line of officers holding them back.

"Then they let the dogs off," he said. "As we were trying to get away there were truncheons coming down on top of us."

Mr Brown said he was today seeing a solicitor about suing for compensation.

One fan needed staples to a head wound, which he said happened when he was hit with a baton after he fell to the ground.

He can be seen on video lying on the concourse in a pool of blood.

Fans had been told they were on a Football Special direct to Sunderland, so did not exptect to arrive at Newcastle Central.

A 28-year-old Sunderland man, who now lives on Tyneside and works as an IT technician, said: "Before we even got off the train they had the dogs and batons out and the dogs were unmuzzled.

"There had been no trouble on the train at all. We'd just been having a good laugh.

"I thought the police were disgraceful for what they did. People were pushing forward and they just set the dogs on them."

Teacher David Storey, who spent 24 years in the armed forces, said a teenage Sunderland fan was pushed on to the police cordon at the front as officers at the back screamed at the group to go forward.

"One of the dogs bit him. You could see the bite marks across his stomach."

Mr Storey said fans tried to grab the youth back and chaos ensued.

"They let the dogs off and the batons started coming down, bludgeoning people in the head.

"Two lads get very, very serious head injuries and several lads got mauled by the dog.

"I really thought one of the guys was dying in front of us as his head was spurting blood all over with a visible pumping spurt.

"By this time there was a scene of utter carnage. There were literally pints of blood all over the platform floor and three lads needed critical medical help.

"I did not at any time see fans do anything that warranted the savage attack by the police."

He added: "There were a lot of very angry, shocked and traumatised Sunderland fans as we boarded the train.

"I have always defended the police whenever I have heard people disrespecting them or criticising their use of force. No longer though."

Newcastle Police made one arrest for drunk and disorderly behaviour.

But they said they would use CCTV to help prosecute those they accused of causing the trouble, which saw four police dogs – Clio, Floyd, Earl and Diesel – "kicked and punched to the ground and then stamped on."

The incident happened at 8pm on Saturday.

Police accuse supporters
A PLANNED police operation was in place to ensure Sunderland fans were kept away from Newcastle supporters and "ushered safely" to the Metro Station.

But the force said a section of Black Cats fans "became violent and disorderly and lashed out at police officers and dogs."

Chief Superintendent Graham Smith, Newcastle Area Commander, said: "The fans arrived at the station intent on violence and our dogs have never faced that level of assault before.

"Thankfully, although shocked, battered and bruised, none of them have been seriously injured and all are now at home recovering."

Police have asked anyone with information to contact them on 03456 043 043.

Fans' Federation offer support
THE Football Supporters' Federation (FSF) has offered assistance to Black Cats fans involved in the incident.

Chairman Malcolm Clarke said: "The FSF is very concerned indeed to learn of these events, and note that there are startling discrepancies between the accounts from many supporters and the police statement of what occurred.

"It is essential that there is a full, independent investigation into what happened."

Fans can either call 0870 2777777 or email Amanda.Jacks@fsf.org.uk.

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  • Last Updated: 12 August 2009 11:47 AM
  • Source: Sunderland Echo
  • Location: Sunderland
 
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firebird 56,

telford shropshire 12/08/2009 10:50:37
The video shows well dressed people standing around doing nothing and certainly not drunken yobs a typical railway station. I travel to a lot of away matches as I live in the Midlands and I have never seen any trouble from Sunderland fans in fact if you ask West Midlands police you will find they are the best behaved away fans, what happened at Newcastle Central will never be known as the police will protect their own. If the dogs were unmuzzled that is illegal, assault causing head injuries is illegal, if the fans including teachers were so violent were are the police injuries and at the end of the tape a police officer runs across the concourse screaming the people he is heading for are just standing there, none threatening.

I have two suggestions, one the club pay for any supporter who wishes to sue the police and that the PCA brings criminal charges against any Northumberland police office who has broken the law. Police are very slow on the uptake that everything they do is videoed and photographed and that people no longer automatically believe the police version of an incident when evidence comes to light of their misconduct.
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,

12/08/2009 12:00:57
Comment Reported Unsuitable By User
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hh,

sunderland 12/08/2009 12:12:28
why does police action inevitably result in head injuries to fans/protesters, are th epolice trained to hit the head with truncheons.
do the police know the meaning of proportionate?
i've always wondered about the police action of striking supporters/protesters who are doing nothing, yet the senior officers always trot out the same rubbish and get away with it, i think a senior officer should tell us what they advice their officers to do and consider whether a senior officer should be prosecuted for conspiracy to assault.
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jkkne,

durham 12/08/2009 12:39:08
What utter tripe has been spoken by previous commentators to this story.

At what point is it acceptable to kick and stamp on polic dogs WHILST THEY ARE INJURED ON THE FLOOR (which you ommitted to report)

The video that is filmed has obviously occured after the incident so its bloody obvious it looks like nothing has happened and now the poor darlings want to sue

If my fellow Sunderland fans cannot behave then the majority will suffer and we will end up with a ban from Newcastle Station, which has been considered before.

I'm ashamed to be a Sunderland fan, even more so by the cries of 'sue' and 'innocence' spoken of
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ChugzDXB,

Dubai/Sunderland 12/08/2009 20:34:28
the video shown is shocking, yet there is no evidence shown to support either side of the arguement, but like many i would naturally take sides with the fans, i havnt been to a sunderland game in years now although a big supporter of the club but the matches i have been too there hasnt been such a state of chaos.
The police could be trying to cover up their slip up as im sure many would as for example im sure i had seen a police officer on a person beating him, but this could be disevening due to the quality of the video, if i was a fan that had been attacked by the police at this incident then i would take legal action again the police because how they used their force was totally and utterly disgraceful.
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J21,

Sunderland 13/08/2009 14:40:57
I wonder if the police are aware that even in uniform; touching someone without their permisson is assualt and they can be charged with it? Dogs are not supposed to be off their leads in crowded areas unless a firearm is in the area (none reported) but it is no excuse for stamping on the poor dog. Police are way too full of themselves and for the most part; bullies. For officers who are offended - don't be. My best friend is a cop and I say it to her on a regular basis; and agrees.
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HKLR,

Sunderland 18/08/2009 12:58:26
I wonder if the police are aware that even in uniform; touching someone without their permisson is assualt and they can be charged with it?

What a STUPID statement! If the police officers weren't allowed to defend themselves they'd have no hope in surviving in their jobs! They can't be charged with assault unless the IPCC decides the force they used on the hooligans was unreasonable - I think you'll find that the IPCC have found that it was 'understandable and justified', I think the precise words that were used. And I wholeheartedly agree.
The incident at the train station was pure violence on the side of the fans - the fans CLEARLY swarmed onto those poor animals, with about 5 of them kicking one dog at the same time. Do you think that's just? And, pray tell, where is the evidence of what you say 'the dogs were let off their leads'? On the CCTV footage, the dog that they are attacking is on it's lead being held (CONTROLLED) by it's handler. The attack on that particular dog (and, by the way, is the ONLY footage that has been released onto the web of the hooligans attacking one of the dogs) was COMPLETELY unjustified and the scale of violence used against it was DISGUSTING. How the hell can you sit there and try and make out the police overreacted? NEWSFLASH; THEY WERE ATTACKING THEIR DOGS.
Police dogs are members of the officer's family; if someone had set upon your family pet like that, how would you react? Would you just sit there and say to them "naughty. leave my dog alone please." how do you EXPECT the officers to react?

" he video shown is shocking, yet there is no evidence shown to support either side of the arguement "

Look at the footage again and take a CLEAR look at the fans squaring up to the police dog handler, then about 10 of the fans swarming in and starting to kick the dog. It is clear and obvious.

jkkne, thank you. One of the only people who have expressed opinions on this matter sensibilly.

" do the police know the meaning of
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HKLR,

Sunderland 18/08/2009 12:59:10
By the way, touching someone without their permission is ' battery ', not assault. :)
9

HKLR,

18/08/2009 12:59:36
" do the police know the meaning of proportionate? "

Yes - their actions in this case were completely proportionate to the crime.

" The video shows well dressed people standing around doing nothing and certainly not drunken yobs a typical railway station. "

They were DRUNK HOOLIGANS who were there to cause trouble and cause injury to the police dogs. It is obvious.

" If the dogs were unmuzzled that is illegal, assault causing head injuries is illegal "

I'm a Lawyer; the only dogs which need to be muzzled in public are dogs which are defined under s1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act - it is absurd to think that police dogs ought to be muzzled.

A final point; police dogs are not trained to randomly attack- they attack to defend their owner, and vice versa.
So all of you who are attacking the police... there actions were just and proportionate.
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