Rangers fan jailed for 16 months and banned from football for eight years over Ibrox pitch invasion

A Rangers supporter who encouraged a mass pitch invasion at Ibrox after an Old Firm match has been jailed for 16 months and banned from attending football matches for eight years.

Jordan Hadden, 28, from Tollcross in Glasgow, was sentenced at Glasgow Sheriff Court after previously pleading guilty to conducting himself in a disorderly manner, breach of the peace and culpable and reckless conduct.

The offences happened after Rangers lost to Celtic in a Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox on 8 March.

What happened

The court heard that after the final whistle, Celtic supporters first came onto the pitch from the Broomloan Road stand.

Hadden, who was in the Copeland Road stand at the opposite end, got over the security barriers and onto the pitch. Prosecutor Abbas Ali said he then turned to the crowd and repeatedly waved his arms, appearing to encourage other Rangers fans to join him.

He crossed towards the Celtic supporters and approached the police cordon near the 18-yard box. There he picked up a bottle and threw it towards the Celtic fans. The court heard a police officer had to take evasive action and the bottle narrowly missed him.

Hadden then returned to the Copeland Road end and disappeared into the crowd, but he was later identified from CCTV footage, in which his face was clearly visible.

Defence and sentence

His solicitor, John McLaughlin, said Hadden had been drinking, which affected his memory of events, and that he picked up the bottle on the spur of the moment without aiming it at anyone in particular. He said his client now accepted his behaviour was extremely reckless and dangerous, and was fortunate no one was hurt. He added that Hadden had attended thousands of Rangers matches and had been caught up in the atmosphere.

Sheriff Lorraine Glancy KC said that if the officer had not seen the bottle in time, he could have been struck on the head. She praised police for keeping the two sets of fans apart on the day and for their bravery and professionalism.

She said a prison sentence was needed to deter others and reflect public disapproval of such behaviour at football matches.

Second supporter remanded

In a separate case at the same court, another Rangers supporter, Marc Spence, 48, admitted assaulting Celtic first-team masseur Allan Baird during the same pitch invasion and committing a breach of the peace. Sentence was deferred until next month for background reports, and Sheriff Owen Mullan remanded him in custody.

Background

The scenes at Ibrox in March were widely condemned, with fans from both clubs entering the field after the match. Police described the disorder as shameful, and a later report into Old Firm disorder was described as damning. Police Scotland has said it will continue to pursue anyone identified as taking part.