January 13 – A football supporter has been jailed for 18 months after hitting Aberdeen’s Jack MacKenzie in the face with a seat thrown from the stands during a Scottish Premiership match.
David Gowans, 32, admitted culpable and reckless conduct after the incident at Tannadice on 17 May, following a league match between Dundee United and Aberdeen.
Gowans threw a section of seating from the stands, striking defender MacKenzie as he approached the away end to thank supporters. MacKenzie, suffered a deep two-inch laceration to his left eyebrow and a five-centimetre abrasion beneath his eye, causing injuries that have left him permanently disfigured.
Sentencing Gowans at Dundee Sheriff Court, Sheriff Alastair Carmichael was blunt in his assessment, saying: “Your actions were selfish, stupid, dangerous and utterly irresponsible. You must have known that by throwing this item it could hit somebody. If you didn’t consider this possibility, the level of recklessness is staggering.”
The Sheriff said the incident carried wider consequences beyond the injury itself. He warned there was a “bigger picture”, noting the danger that such behaviour at a football match could have sparked further disorder in the crowd.
“There is no reasonable alternative to a custodial sentence,” Sheriff Carmichael said. “This is needed because of the gravity of this crime, and it is needed in order to adequately punish you and adequately express the public disapproval of this behaviour, and discourage others from behaving in a similar fashion.”
Gowans, of Aberdeen, was also handed a 10-year football banning order, the maximum available to the court. Aberdeen have also imposed a lifetime ban.
Gowans’ lawyer told the court his client had been heavily intoxicated and was “extremely embarrassed” by what he described as a “disastrous mistake”. The court heard Gowans had admitted responsibility in messages sent to Aberdeen’s supporter liaison officer shortly after the incident.
During a police interview, the accused admitted drinking a half litre of vodka prior to leaving home for the match.