icWalsall - Olympic bottle-thrower sentenced
icWalsall logo
icWalsall Jobs Midlands Homes Midlands Dating
Search icWalsall for:


Olympic bottle-thrower sentenced

16:05, Feb 4 2013

 

The man who threw a plastic beer bottle at competitors at the start of the men's Olympic 100m final has been sentenced to an eight-week community order.

Ashley Gill-Webb, 34, of South Milford, near Leeds, who suffers from bipolar disorder, was found guilty of public disorder at Stratford Magistrates' Court, east London, last month.

District Judge William Ashworth, sitting at Thames Magistrates' Court, told Gill-Webb: "Your intention was to target the highest-profile event at the London Olympic and put off Usain Bolt.

"The potential harm of triggering a false start was significant. By good fortune, you failed. You did, however, spoil the occasion for some spectators and tarnish the spirit of the Games."

Gill-Webb will be electronically-monitored and be subject to a 7pm to 7am curfew. He was also ordered to pay a £1,500 contribution to costs.

The judge said: "You suffer from bipolar disorder. At the time of the offence, you were in the throes of a manic episode. This made you over-confident and your behaviour risky.

"I have reduced your punishment to take account of the effects of your illness."

Gill-Webb used an old ticket to get into the Olympic Park and then the stadium on August 5.

He hurled abuse at athletes, including Jamaican sprint star Bolt, and then threw a bottle on to the track as the final began.

It landed behind the lane markers and the world's top sprinters as they exploded out of their blocks in the showpiece race.

 

Top Top | Back Back |

E-mail to a friend | Printable version

 

 


Copyright and Trade Mark Notice
© 2013 owned by or licensed to Trinity Mirror Midlands Limited.
icWalsall™ is a trade mark of Trinity Mirror Midlands Limited.
Please read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Statement before using this site.
 
Advertisements