Teen handed discharge over prank to invade pitch

Teen handed discharge over prank to invade pitch i Rosie Shead 25 July 2024 423 words English IIND 5 © 2024 All Rights Reserved. COURTS A teenager admitted "foolishly" invading the pitch during the Champions League final at Wembley as part of a prank to get £300,000 from an online influencer. At Willesden Youth Court yesterday, the 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted running on to the pitch shortly before the 8pm kick-off of Borussia Dortmund's match against Real Madrid on 1 June. The boy had never attended a football game before the incident and "doesn't care" about the sport, but was encouraged to invade the pitch at the final by an online figure named Andrey Burim, the court heard. Emily McNally, for the defence, said that Mr Burim had been known to "exploit and groom" his followers and "incite people" to "further his own personal brand". Mr Burim, who goes by the name Mellstroy online, has 3.2 million followers on Instagram and 1.19 million subscribers on Telegram. The court heard that the defendant downloaded the influencer's logo online and had it printed on to a T-shirt at a shop before the football match. The 16-year-old said he had seen other people wearing similar logos at the stadium. When asked how the boy gained access to the pitch, Ms McNally said: "He simply walked down, jumped the barrier and no one stopped him." Ms McNally said that the teenager had "no intention" of touching any of the players and admitted that the decision to invade the pitch was "reckless and foolish". He did not receive "any kind of payout" from Mr Burim, she added. In mitigation, Ms McNally argued against a football banning order - saying that an "association with hooliganism" would have an "impact on his future prospects". Ms McNally told the court that the boy planned to attend university and the district judge, Lorraine McDonagh, read what she described as a "glowing reference" from one of his teachers. The boy was handed a conditional discharge of six months and ordered to pay a contribution towards prosecution costs of £84, as well as a £26 surcharge. Police made 56 arrests during the Wembley final, most of which were for attempts to breach security. Two men were also charged with invading the pitch at the event. Yevhenii Lubnenko, 29, who pleaded guilty at a previous hearing, was banned from UK football matches for three years and fined £660. David Carneckij is due to stand trial at the same court on 27 August. Associated Newspapers Limited