Pitch invader who took free kick for Spurs fined
A pitch invader who took a free-kick during West Ham United's English Premier match against Tottenham Hotspur has been fined £305 ($633) for his misdemeanour.
Jordan Dunn was intoxicated when he decided to intrude onto the field at Upton Park, running nearly the full length of the pitch to take a free-kick from unsuspecting Spurs midfielder Christian Eriksen.
After his shot was saved by West Ham goalkeeper Adrian, the 22-year-old from Kent was caught by stewards and escorted from the field of play to the cheers of the crowd.
As he appeared before the Thames Magistrates' Court in East London, Dunn plead guilty and apologised for his "moment of madness", avoiding a ban from matches.
Humour
According to AFP, District Judge Gareth Branston saw the humour in the situation and gave Dunn a light-hearted reprimand referencing ex-Manchester United free-kick maestro David Beckham.
Branston said: "Some time into that game a young man ran onto the pitch. That was you. You weren’t paid to do that.
"You took it (the free-kick) for them. To be frank you were probably a little tired by the time you got to the ball.
"It was a longer run than was strictly necessary.
"You had consumed alcohol and your stride pattern was a bit out of kilter but to borrow a phrase you did bend it like Beckham.
"Regrettably it was about 30mph slower than Beckham."
At least Dunn can rest assured that he did better than Eriksen, whose subsequent effort flew over the bar.
Source: AFP
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
