A football fan who ran onto the pitch and made a rude gesture at the away supporters when his team scored an equaliser has been banned from going to all football games in Britain for three years.
Jacob Helmsley, 24, darted on the field of play at the Amex stadium in Brighton, East Sussex, to make the “w****r sign” at the Crystal Palace fans during a clash between the rival teams earlier this year.
He managed to get onto the turf to celebrate a Brighton and Hove Albion goal in the dying minutes of the match, then made the offensive salutes to goad the reeling Palace supporters.
Shocked families and children saw him make the offensive hand wave, prosecutors said.
Helmsley then ran back into the stands in a bid to avoid being caught by police and stewards.
But he was picked up on CCTV and club staff kept track of him so police could arrest the wayward fan just minutes later at half time.
While speaking to officers at the time, Helmsley claimed he did not realise he committed a crime and could not understand why he had been arrested and quizzed by cops.
He told police: “Mate, I just ran on the pitch in front of all those people.”
Palace had been winning 1-0 until the 87th minute when the south London club scored an own goal to level the game. It was at this dramatic moment in the fixture that Helmsley launched himself onto the pitch to celebrate.
Following the match on January 14, Helmsley, of Burgess Hill, West Sussex, was charged with going into the playing area of a football match, contrary to the Football Offences Act.
At Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (June 9), he pleaded guilty and was handed a three-year football banning order, which stops him attending any professional matches in England and Wales for three years.
He also cannot attend England games and will have to hand in his passport to police when the national team plays abroad.
Helmsley was also ordered to pay a £400 fine, with a £40 victim surcharge and £85 court costs.
PC Darren Balkham, Sussex Police’s dedicated football officer, said today (Tues) there was a rise in fans invading the pitch at all levels of the professional game as the season drew to a close.
He added that Helmsley had a "moment of madness".
PC Balkham said: “In recent months we have seen a concerning rise in the number of incidents of fans going onto the pitch.
“Helmsley claimed he was only celebrating and having fun, but accepted he had caused disruption and apologised. He was seen to antagonise opposing fans at the game.
“Fans who go onto the pitch without authority cause a danger to players, club staff and stewards, other fans, and to themselves.
“This conviction demonstrates that anyone invading the pitch is committing a criminal offence, and we will not tolerate it.
“Helmsley was given a Football Banning Order for three years which prevents him attending all football events within the UK and bars him from travel when the England team are playing outside the UK. He also faces further action from Brighton and Hove Albion.
“This is the price he has to pay for his moment of madness.”
Brighton and Hove Albion said Helmsley will also be banned from some of the South Coast team's home and away fixtures after the three-year order expires.
A spokesman for the club added: "We welcome the verdict and thank Sussex Police and the court for their support in prosecuting the offender.
"There is never an excuse for supporters to leave the stands and to enter the pitch in this way, as it puts their own and others' safety at risk.
"We saw a worrying trend in pitch incursions at the end of last season across the UK, and all supporters should be reminded this is a criminal offence.
"The safety of players, officials, stewards and staff is of paramount importance, and it is essential they are able to go about their work without the disruption or fear of pitch invasions.
"So, in addition to the punishment handed down by the court, he will also face a significant ban from all home and away Brighton & Hove Albion fixtures."
