An AAMI Park pitch invader liable for leaving former Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover with 10 stitches and a “permanent reminder” of the chaos has been launched on bail lower than an hour after he was sentenced to jail.
Alex Agelopoulos, 23, returned earlier than the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday after pleading responsible to violent dysfunction and disrupting a sport. He was sentenced to serve three months imprisonment adopted by an 18-month neighborhood corrections order.
Dubbed “Bucket Man” within the media following the pitch invasion, Agelopoulos hurled a bucket of sand at Mr Glover, leaving him in hospital with lacerations to his face and a concussion.
At the tip of the listening to, as Agelopoulos was anticipated to be led right down to the cells by courtroom safety, his lawyer Dermot Dann KC introduced that he had been instructed to enchantment the sentence in the next courtroom.
Agelopoulos walked free from courtroom forward of that listening to after police didn’t oppose bail.
In a sufferer impression assertion, Mr Glover stated he had been left a “permanent reminder” of Agelopoulos’ offending by the scar on his proper cheek.
He informed the courtroom that he was now fearful and anxious when out in public and felt cautious when stepping out on the pitch as recollections of the assault remained.
The incident occurred through the A-League derby match between Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory on December 17 when about 120 to 150 individuals from the northern stand stormed the pitch within the twentieth minute.
Spectators had deliberate to stroll out on the 20-minute mark to protest Football Federation Australia’s deal to host the subsequent three grand finals at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium.
Instead, the pitch was invaded at 8.06pm after a lit flare was thrown and Mr Glover unintentionally threw it again into the stand.
Bottles, flares, metallic buckets and damaged stadium chairs had been thrown about as the sport was deserted by officers on the 22-minute mark.
Multiple individuals, together with referee Alex King, Mr Glover, a digital camera man and a safety officer, had been injured through the chaos, which induced greater than $200,000 in harm to the stadium.
In courtroom, prosecutors argued that Agelopoulos’ actions through the pitch invasion had been the “most serious violent acts” after inflicting the damage to Mr Glover.
Magistrate Rosemary Falla stated Football Federation Australia’s choice to promote the sport to NSW was unpopular in Victoria amongst followers and golf equipment, resulting in a “social media frenzy”.
She stated Agelopoulos had admitted to consuming alcohol and illicit medicine however had since ended his “serious addiction to ice”.
“You and your cohort have stained the very fabric of football in Australia,” she stated.
“No doubt this will be a day you wish to take back … it will be remembered for the harm caused to a sport you claim to love.”
Mr Dann argued that Ms Falla ought to impose a neighborhood corrections order in “parity” with the sentence imposed on one other key determine, Muhammed Varsan, 19.
The courtroom was informed Varsan had thrown a flare onto the bottom, punched a safety guard behind the top and thrown objects together with a flag pole at police.
Mr Dann submitted that Agelopoulos had turn into the face of the AAMI Park invasion and would “forever be known as Bucket Man”.
Melbourne Victory was handed a document $550,000 fantastic over the actions of their supporters, whereas 38 individuals, together with no less than one baby, had been charged over the incident.
Police and 1000’s of supporters later condemned the behaviour on what was referred to as soccer’s “night of shame”.
Agelopoulos was granted bail and can subsequent seem within the County Court for a sentence enchantment listening to in December.
Originally printed as Alex Agelopoulos: ‘Bucket Man’ pitch invader’s ‘stain’ on sport
Source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au
