Sunderland fan caught with cocaine at Burnley match after flare fired onto pitch

A flare fired at a football match led to a Sunderland away fan being caught with drugs on the terraces, a court heard.

Security cameras zoomed in and spotted Callum Snowball, 26, taking a substance while watching the Black Cats play last season’s 0-0 draw Championship match at Burnley.

Snowball, of Fairways, Tunstall, was picked out of the crowd by police on Friday, March 3, and found with a snap bag with a smattering of cocaine inside.

He pleaded guilty to possessing the controlled class A drug, a confession which led prosecutors to apply to get him banned from matches for a minimum of three years.

But magistrates in South Tyneside rejected the application after hearing jobless Snowball had not fired the flare nor committed violence.

Prosecutor Paul Anderson said: “It’s Burnley versus Sunderland. A flare was fired onto the pitch which was nothing to do with the defendant.

“The cameras zoomed into an area and they saw Mr Snowball appearing to use drugs.

“He was arrested, and a bag was found with the remnants of a drug which was cocaine. He made no reply in interview.

“The case comes back to his home court. He has a caution for drugs but that was in 2012.

“The police considered a potential caution but because of the location, they thought that was inappropriate.

“Because it took place in a football stadium, the court can impose a football banning order.”

Tom Morgan, defending, urged the court not to ban Snowball from games, adding: “It’s a very restrictive order. This incident did not involve violence.

“There is no suggestion that he was misbehaving, other than having possession of this small amount of cocaine.

“He had been to the match with others. Someone else has brought attention to that area of the stands, and he has been caught with the drugs.

“He’s a man who has his own vulnerabilities. He had a significant bereavement in his mid to late teens, and his offending is exclusively to do with that.

“He is not someone who is routinely in trouble at football matches. The police did consider a caution.”

Magistrates fined Snowball, who owes the courts over £2,200 from past offending, £120, with £85 court costs and a £48 victim surcharge.