East Durham man among nine football hooligans jailed after violence at Newcastle United game
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Anthony Smith, 57, from Burn Gardens, Easington Village, was locked up for 24 months and handed a seven-year football banning order for his role in leaving “a trail of destruction” after a gang “effectively stormed" Burnley’s Turf Hotel in December 2019.
Preston Crown Court heard how one person was seen on CCTV in the pub, which is regarded as a Burnley fans’ bar, holding a pool cue as a weapon.
The group’s behaviour also included inciting and encouraging disorder, violence and using bar furniture and stools as weapons.
Smith was one of 11 defendants, who are mainly from Newcastle, Gateshead and North Tyneside, to admit offences at the court.
Nine of the gang were jailed for a total of nearly 20 years while a 10th will be sentenced in January.
Luke Smith, 20, of Quarry Road, Sunderland, received an 18-month sentence, which was suspended for two years, with 200 hours' community service, a four-month electronic monitored curfew and a three-year football banning order.
