Thanks to Ric Spencer for this evidence of trouble at TV sports events in pubs, that Dr Howells claims he has not seen.

Portsmouth News 31 March 2003

Court: Prison sentences of between eight months and a year handed out to thugs who brought terror to town.   

Six men are jailed after World Cup street brawl.
By Kushwant Sachdave The News

Six thugs who got involved in drunken brawl after an England victory in the World Cup last year have been jailed. The men ended up in a mass punch-up in the streets of Havant after England beat Argentina.

Fighting first irrupted outside the Six Bells pub in North St Havant, shortly after the match, which took place on June 7. The violence spilled into nearby streets and more and more people got caught up in the clashes. Police were called but they were attacked as they tried to arrest those at the centre of the trouble.

One officer described the fight as the most frightening incident he had encountered during his many years of service. Other witnesses described how they were left terrified for their safety by the violent scenes.

Now six men – Raymond Green 28, Jonathon Japp 28, Derek Benfield 30, Roger Carroll 32, Paul Hughes 21 and Lee Brough 31 have been jailed for their part in the trouble.

All six men were described by their barristers as hard-working, decent individuals who had made a mistake in getting involved. At Portsmouth Crown Court Judge Tom MacKean told them he had no choice but to send them to prison to show the public that street violence was not acceptable.

But handing them their sentence for violent disorder, Judge MacKean condemned their behaviour. He told the six men: "After a successful World Cup football match you all celebrated by drinking large amounts of alcohol in public houses in Havant and there were incidents of public violence in which you were all heavily involved. "Members of the public were left frightened for their safety. "The violent behaviour was unacceptable and the matter is so serious that I must impose custodial sentences upon each of you as a clear message that violence in public places will not be tolerated."

Two of the men sentenced have been found guilty after a jury after a seven-week trial earlier this year. A third changed his plea from not guilty to guilty half way through the trial. The jury failed to reach a verdict on three other men. They will have to face a fresh trial in front of a new jury. The new trial is likely to take place in the autumn.