LONDON – A supporter of Grimsby Town Football Club has been convicted of assault after hitting a steward three times with an inflatable shark.
Kenneth Meech, who brought the blow-up shark along to a game against Barnet in February, was ordered to pay a fine, compensation and a victim surcharge amounting to around £800.
"I'm a bit deflated, to be honest," he told the BBC. "Very surprised and shocked by the verdict, but I've got to respect what the courts have said. I feel it's a waste of the taxpayers' money."
"If this didn't happen at football I wouldn't be here today, I'm sure I wouldn't."
(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));A Grimsby Town Football Club fan says he feels deflated after being fined nearly £800 for assaulting a steward with an inflatable shark. Ken Meech was charged after the game with Barnet F.C. in February.Posted by BBC Look North (East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire) on Monday, July 13, 2015
Meech was among a number of fans who took inflatables along to the game, as part of a protest for a fan who was kicked out of a previous match for bringing a giant inflatable football.
He was found guilty of assault on Monday and given 12 months conditional discharge, but no football ban.
It's unclear at this stage what has happened to the shark.