Wigan Athletic fan banned from games after Home Park disorder

A young Wigan Athletic fan has been banned from attending his team's games for the next three years after he was caught on camera as part of a melee between fans. Reece Sharples, aged 20, from Collet Close in Wigan appeared via video link at Plymouth Magistrates' Court earlier this week where he pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour and of throwing an object at others inside the ground.

The court was shown CCTV footage from inside the Home Park ground during the incident on November 27, 2021 which showed a large number of Wigan supporters and Argyle supporters become embroiled in a large disorder inside the ground which continued outside the stadium.

The CCTV clip showed large groups of men involved in the melee which first required a number of stewards to become involved, but as the groups continued to mix and hurling objects at each other, a number of police officers intervened, eventually creating a human barrier between the two warring groups of fans.

Bodyworn video footage, taken from a police officers chest-mounted camera, was also shown in court, highlighting a number of Wigan fans bellowing and threatening Argyle fans, who replied in kind.

A witness statement from a police officer was read to the court, noting how Sharples had been seen throwing objects and engaged in the disorder, which was backed up by the video footage. The court heard how Sharples had been ejected from the ground but continued goading and shouting, urging them to engage in a fight, outside the stadium.

In mitigation, Sharples' advocate, Louise Barrow, admitted that her client had seen the footage and accepted that it "doesn't make for very pleasant watching", adding that he was "very embarrassed" with his behaviour on that day.

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