A Stoke City supporter admitted, "it was a moment of stupidity", as he fought but lost being banned from his beloved home team matches after he held a flare aloft at a clash with Nottingham Forest. Five minutes before kick-off, Sebastian Hargreaves held up a bright red "smoke grenade" in the lower tier of the Bridgford Stand at 3pm on Saturday, February 12, this year.
Fans were singing, "very vocally", described one officer in his statement about the incident. They were jumping up and down and throwing beer around when red smoke was spotted appearing from the heart of the busy crowd.
Hargreaves was holding the flare, Nottingham Magistrates' Court heard, as he was sentenced for possessing a smoke flare during the period of a designated sporting event. CCTV tracked Hargreaves and he was detained.
