Three Northampton Town fans arrested last season, data shows as national figure at nine-year high

Three Northampton Town fans were arrested during the course of the 2022-2023 season, data shows as national figures reach a nine-year high.

Home Office figures show three Cobblers fans were arrested last season, which is an increase of one compared to the season before, when two were arrested.

One fan was arrested during Northampton Town’s 2022 Boxing Day fixture at Mansfield. Robert Starmer, of Dimmock Square, Northampton, straddled the advertising hoarding at Mansfield Town’s One Call Stadium before climbing over and evading a steward when Cobblers scored in the 88th minute. Starmer was given a three-year banning order, due to “persistent offending”.

The other two were arrested during the Cobblers home game against Bradford on April 29, 2023. One fan was charged with pitch incursion and appeared before magistrates, however a football banning order was denied. The other fan arrested at Sixfields in April was arrested on suspicion of assault and remains under investigation, a Northamptonshire Police spokeswoman confirmed.

The figures for Northampton Town fan come as the number of arrests made at football games across England and Wales reached a nine-year high.

Nationally, 2,264 football-related arrests were made, up from what was already an eight-year high of 2,198 in the previous campaign.

Talking about the national statistics, Chief Constable Mark Roberts, NPCC lead for football policing, said: "The level of disorder we are seeing across football continues to be much higher than before the pandemic.

"Police are continuing to take positive action to reverse this trend by making a high number of arrests."

Douglas Mackay, sports lead prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service, said football banning orders are "one of the many tools available to the justice system" to help reduce disorder at football matches.

Mr Mackay added: "There is no place for violent and hateful criminal acts in football, and incidents such as these have a significant negative impact on players, spectators, and the integrity of the game.

"The CPS is currently working with the police, football clubs, football authorities and charities seeking to stamp out this blight on football."

Nationally, last season also saw the highest number of new banning orders handed out since the 2010-11 season.