Blowing the Whistle on Police Violence Against Football Fans

I am writing this blog post on the day that the new 2025/2026 football season fixtures have been announced – despite the fact that it hardly seems like 90 minutes since the final whistles of last season’s final round of matches were sounding up and down the country.

Contemplating football, not just as a fan of the game but as a professional who specialises in police misconduct cases, makes me think of the many occasions when I have been called up to assist innocent fans who have been the victim of violence perpetrated by hooligans in uniform.

In the news this week was the case of PC Richard Mannox of West Midlands Police, who was dismissed for gross misconduct following the use of excessive force against a football supporter.

After a League Two match between Walsall FC and Barrow AFC in March 2023, PC Mannox approached Edward Papas, a Barrow fan, with what the Independent Officer for Police Conduct (IOPC) later described as “a confrontational approach from the outset” after Mr Papas had had a minor disagreement with a steward.

Mannox was found to have sworn at, threatened and then struck Mr Papas in the face, after Papas had simply been trying to get back to his car after the game.

All of this occurred in public view – captured on footage that would eventually circulate widely online. One of the many benefits of modern technology when it comes to ensuring police accountability: Many a viral video has caught an offending officer cold.

Nevertheless, in a story that is almost as old as time, it was Mr Papas – not the police officer – who was initially prosecuted.  He faced two charges of assault, allegations that were ultimately dismissed in Wolverhampton Crown Court in January 2024. 

Only following his acquittal, did the full weight of scrutiny turn towards the officer’s conduct, which the trial judge branded as “disgraceful.”

Following an IOPC investigation a Misconduct Panel convicted the officer of gross misconduct, and as well as dismissing him from the police service has barred him from ever serving in the police again. 

This sequence of events is far from unusual. All too often, victims of police brutality find themselves being hindered, not helped, by the criminal justice system – charged with serious offences and threatened with criminalisation.There is a twisted logic at the heart of all such wrongful prosecutions – the more severe the force an officer has inflicted upon someone, the more that officer, often aided and abetted by his colleagues, is desperate to erect a smoke screen for his own wrongdoing by painting the victim as the aggressor – an aggressor who deserves criminal punishment.

In other words, the more over- the- top an officer is in assaulting you – the greater the likelihood you are going to be arrested because police officers only mete out such punishment if it’s deserved – don’t they?

Victims of police misconduct having to sweat through months and months of the criminal prosecution process and then defend themselves in court – potentially with their liberty and livelihood at stake, with a criminal conviction hanging over them – are being doubly victimised. These are generally not just cases of insult being added to injury, but psychiatric harm being loaded on top of cuts, scars, bruises and broken bones.

Have you been the victim of Police brutality at a Football Match?

If you believe you’ve been subjected to wrongful arrest or excessive force by police officers at a football match, it is essential to seek legal advice from a solicitor such as myself with expertise and a long track record of success in this area. Read about some of the cases in which I have helped clients win tens of thousands of pounds compensation after suffering police brutality at football matches:

• Bryan Alden, who recovered £358,000 damages from West Midlands Police after a brutal baton strike fractured his hand and cost him his career, outside Villa Park
• Jack, who won £10,000 damages from Greater Manchester Police after being assaulted for “giving cheek” to two Officers after a Manchester derby
• William Biddle, who won £6,000 from Nottinghamshire Police after first being knocked over by a Police van outside Notts County’s stadium, and who was then threatened with arrest for complaining about it.
• “Chris”, a Birmingham City supporter, recovered £17,500 damages after being struck in the head by a Police Officer using a riot shield as a weapon.
• “Robert” who recovered a five-figure damages sum after being bitten by a Police dog after the Sheffield derby (and whose initial attempt to complain had been met with a false Public Order charge).

And remember, that when next season kicks off, whatever team you support – I am on your side.

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