Coleraine football fan given suspended jail sentence for having two lit flares at game against Ballymena United

James Harvey Shaw (18), of Mount Street Mews in Coleraine, committed the flares offence on October 15 last year.

At a previous court he was made the subject of a three year Football Banning Order and ordered to do 120 hours of Community Service for attacking a Larne supporter following a Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) match in Larne on October 1 last year.

In connection with the October 15 case, Shaw appeared at Ballymena Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

A prosecutor said CCTV showed the defendant holding "two lit blue flares" at the Ballymena match. Ballymena won the NIFL Premiership match 2-1.

The prosecutor said no application was being made for a Football Banning Order in the flares case.

A defence solicitor said Shaw saw flares being lit at a televised European match and "thought it would be a smart idea to order them online and to bring them along to a local match".

The lawyer said there had been no aggravating features such as throwing the flares onto the pitch or towards opposition fans and Shaw just lit the flares and held them in his hands.

"He didn't think he was doing anything wrong," added the solicitor.

In relation to the ongoing Banning Order, the lawyer added: "Unfortunately, he is now going to be deprived of attending Irish League matches for the next three years".

District Judge Nigel Broderick told Shaw: "Bringing a flare to a football match where there are other supporters, including children, is a dangerous thing because you have no control. Once you light this flare anything could happen and that is why the court takes a dim view of it.”

The judge said the defendant had failed to engage with Probation ahead of sentencing and he handed down a two months prison term, suspended for three years.

In relation to Shaw's previous conviction, the defendant had pleaded guilty to assault and being disorderly near Larne's Inver Park stadium on Saturday October 1 last year. Larne won the match 2-0. Afterwards trouble erupted outside the ground.

A prosecutor had told a previous court that at around 7.30pm on October 1 police saw a "commotion" at Inver Road following the match between Larne and Coleraine - it had been a 5.30pm kick-off.

"About eight to ten young males, believed to be Coleraine fans, were in the middle of the road walking towards the town and the police observed a number of bottles being thrown towards the Larne fans who were walking on the footpath".

The prosecutor said some of the "males dispersed" when police arrived on the scene but officers managed to speak to two males believed to have been involved.

A Larne fan then approached police saying bottles had been thrown at home fans and how he had been "punched in the face" by Shaw in a "completely unprovoked" attack.