Coleraine football hooligan admits possessing 'lit flares' at match

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.

Full details have yet to be outlined to the court but a prosecutor previously said the October 15 matter related to "flares at a Ballymena Coleraine match at the Showgrounds in Ballymena." Ballymena won the NIFL Premiership match 2-1.

A defence solicitor said the defendant was pleading guilty to the flares charge. The case was adjourned to June 29 for a pre-sentence report.

In relation to Shaw's previous conviction, at an earlier court 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 the 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.