Roma Fan Jailed For Horrific Attack On Liverpool Supporter
28th February 2019
Simone Mastrelli, 30, from Rome admitted on Thursday that he unlawfully and maliciously inflicted grievous bodily harm on Sean Cox
- An Italian football fan pleaded guilty on Thursday to assaulting a Liverpool supporter before last year's Champions League tie between Roma and Liverpool, leaving the victim with catastrophic head injuries
- Irish national Cox suffered a severe, traumatic brain injury as a result of the attack outside Liverpool's Anfield Stadium on April 24, and is still recovering after spending four-and-a-half weeks at a specialist neurological unit
- Sporadic trouble broke out in Liverpool city centre before the match as more than 50,000 fans made their way to Anfield, including around 5,000 Roma fans
LONDON, United Kingdom- An Italian football fan pleaded guilty on Thursday to assaulting a Liverpool supporter before last year's Champions League tie between Roma and Liverpool, leaving the victim with catastrophic head injuries.
Simone Mastrelli, 30, from Rome, entered a guilty plea to unlawfully and maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm on Sean Cox, during a hearing at Preston Crown Court in north west England, with the victim's wife looking on.
Irish national Cox suffered a severe, traumatic brain injury as a result of the attack outside Liverpool's Anfield Stadium on April 24, and is still recovering after spending four-and-a-half weeks at a specialist neurological unit.
RECOMMENDED READ: It's A Two-Horse Race Now: Liverpool, Man City Cut Beaten Tottenham Adrift
Mastrelli was arrested in Italy last month on a European Arrest Warrant before being extradited to Britain.
Another Roma fan, Filippo Lombardi, 21, was last year jailed for three years for violent disorder over the incident.
A third fan, Daniele Sciusco, 29, also admitted violent disorder and was jailed for two-and-a-half years.
RECOMMENDED READ: No Oliech Again In Migne Provisional Harambee Squad For Ghana
Sporadic trouble broke out in Liverpool city centre before the match as more than 50,000 fans made their way to Anfield, including around 5,000 Roma fans.