Two charged following Devon derby arrests
Two men have been charged following arrests made at the Plymouth Argyle Exeter City derby match this weekend.
Callum Leech aged 20 from Exwick Road, Exeter was arrested at Home Park, Plymouth and charged with being drunk in a sports ground. He has been bailed to appear at Plymouth Magistrates on the 9th December.
Joseph Childs aged 21 from Greenbank Avenue, Plymouth was arrested outside of Home Park and charged under the public order act for using threatening or abusive words likely to cause alarm or distress. He has been bailed to appear at Plymouth Magistrates on the 9th December.
Two men from Plymouth aged 29 and 25 were both arrested for assaulting a police officer and have since been bailed pending further enquiries until the New Year.
A 26-year-old man from Plymouth arrested on a Section 5 public order act and was later released with no further action to be taken.
Superintendent Ian Drummond-Smith who led on the policing operation for the match said: “We always have an increased police presence for this match and on the whole the day went fairly smoothly from a police point of view.
“Unfortunately there is a tiny minority intent on causing trouble. One such incident took place at half-time in the home end concourse which saw a flare set off and both club stewards and Police Officers assaulted.
“Arrests were made and a number of people were ejected from the ground. We are currently reviewing footage of this event and will look to question those involved in the coming days.”
Five officers were injured during the half-time disturbance and all have since returned to duty. Devon and Cornwall Police will continue to work closely with officials from Plymouth Argyle FC to identify those who took part in the half-time disorder and to ensure that they are banned from the football club.
Supt Drummond-Smith continued: “The only other issue of note was at full-time when firecrackers were thrown in the direction of our dog and horse units. Thankfully these animals are professionals and quite simply didn’t bat an eyelid and are once again a credit to the Force.
“Bar the above two incidents the majority of fans were good natured, polite and behaved themselves in the build-up, during and post match. I would like to personally thank these fans for their patience on the day and in setting the right example.”
