Football lout who taunted Luton Town fans with racist chants given banning order

Jake Ryans, 19, of Pinewood Avenue, Sidcup, was at a match between Luton Town Football Club and Millwall at Kenilworth Road stadium on October 2 last year.

Body-worn footage from Bedfordshire Police officers identified Ryans as the person using offensive language towards Luton Town fans.

During a hearing at Luton Crown Court on Thursday, October 19, Ryans pleaded guilty to racially or religiously-aggravated intentional harassment.

He was issued with the three-year banning order - preventing him from attending any regulated football matches in the United Kingdom.

Ryans was also ordered to pay a £220 fine, and the hearing costs as well as a victim surcharge.

PC Tony Bravo, who investigated, said: “Any form of hate motivated harassment has no place in our communities, and certainly not in football.

“We are dedicated to working closely with the football clubs and our colleagues in different police forces to identify the perpetrators and issue them with appropriate sanctions.

“We hope this sends a strong message that we have means to identify and track down individuals, even during large scale events like this one.”

If you want to report hate crime, contact Bedfordshire Police online or call 101.