Fan with cocaine at Southend United game gets football ban
A man has been given a three-year football banning order after he was caught with cocaine at a match.John Millie, 39, of Kenley Gardens, in Hornchurch, east London, was stopped and searched by security staff at a match at Southend United's Roots Hall stadium on 1 February. A packet of white powder was found in his possession, and he admitted possession of a Class A drug on 13 June at Chelmsford Magistrates Court. He was restricted from accessing matches and was fined £484, plus £85 costs and a £184 surcharge.Under new legislation, fans who commit Class A drug offences at matches could be banned from games for up to 10 years and also receive a criminal conviction.
Southend was playing Kent-based Sittingbourne FC on 1 February. Millie had been spotted by staff going backwards and forwards to the toilets before he was stopped and searched. Essex Police were then called, and the powder was seized and later confirmed as cocaine.Dedicated football officer, Keith Baker, said of the force's first match ban order: "Football is known as the 'beautiful game' with people coming week in and week out to support their local team."We know that consumption of drugs fuels disorder at football matches and we are committed to kicking that type of behaviour out of the grounds in our county."We are committed to ensuring football grounds across Essex are places where you can come and cheer on your team, focusing on the players' performance without worrying about the behaviour of other supporters."The football ban means Millie cannot attend any premises where games are held in the United Kingdom and abroad that are regulated by the Football Spectators Act 1989.According to the Crown Prosecution Service, every police force should have one or more dedicated football officers (formerly football intelligence officers).
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Earlier, the court heard evidence from Ms Akter's sister-in-law, who said Masum had stopped his wife wearing make-up and would regularly check her phone to see who she was talking to. A statement from Minara Begum read in court explained Ms Akter had to ask permission from her husband before going out. She said they 'both seemed happy' and Masum appeared 'quite obsessed with' Ms Akter, who started working at Park Cakes in Oldham. Ms Begum added: 'Masum was not too keen on Kulsuma working but she would worry about paying the bills. 'I told her she could enhance her beauty even more with the right make-up ... Masum would get jealous if he saw photos and told her not to do make-up any more, so she didn't.' Jurors heard how arguments soon escalated to a 'more serious level' before Ms Akter tried to escape, going to stay with her brother and sister-in-law at one point. Ms Begum said: 'He kept messaging her telling he was going to do crazy things because she was with us and not at home, and kept asking her where the kitchen knife was. 'After this happened I told Masum his behaviour was not right and their relationship should not be this way. 'Masum did not like this coming from a woman or me speaking to him this way. He did not like me very much.' Jurors heard Ms Akter returned to Masum, but arguments between them 'got worse after the baby was born' and Ms Akter 'always complained he wasn't helping her with the baby and always expected his food to be prepared after work'. However, warnings of the explosive nature of the couple's relationship were seen right at the beginning of their marriage. Jurors heard that more than a year before he murdered his wife, Masum had told a doctor he 'felt like he would kill her'. The trial heard that in August 2022 Masum was found by police at a tram station, where he had stayed all night after an argument with Ms Akter. He was taken to hospital where he told a doctor 'I feel like I would kill her' and said 'when he fights with her he feels like he is going to kill her'. Medical notes showed he 'disclosed thoughts to harm himself and his girlfriend and admitted to carrying a knife while having these thoughts'. Masum told the trial he had never carried a knife in Ms Akter's presence. Asked by his barrister Frida Hussain KC why he had made those comments at the hospital, he replied: 'I said: 'I feel I'm having some mental health issues and I would like to share something with the doctor'... I just wanted to share all that with the doctor.' The defendant, who gave evidence through a Bengali interpreter, told the court the couple had 'occasional disagreements or arguments' about when they should live together and she would 'block him' when she was angry. Masum said: 'I used to feel if I can't be with her I would die.' Masum said during the trial he had taken a knife with him on the day he killed Ms Akter because he intended to stab himself if she did not 'listen to him'. Mr Wood said the 26-year-old's threats of self-harm were 'empty threats', adding: 'He has never made an attempt on his own life, he has never harmed himself. These are examples of his emotional blackmail.' He told jurors that during the fatal attack on Ms Akter, Masum put her on the ground, stabbed her 'many, many' times, kicked her 'as a final insult'' then took hold of the back of her head and cut her throat. Mr Wood said: 'Such a brutal and violent assault by the defendant, culminating in a deliberate cutting of his wife's throat, only points to an intention to kill. That is what he wanted, that is what he did.' Today the IOPC said its investigations into Ms Akter's prior contact with both the Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire forces had found no breaches of professional standards. Its director Emily Barry said: 'Our thoughts remain with Ms Akter's family and friends, who have lost a loved one in tragic circumstances, as well as all those affected by this deeply distressing incident. 'This was a harrowing case which caused widespread understandable concern. 'It was appropriate we carried out a thorough investigation into the relevant contact between police and Ms Akter.' Masum will be sentenced next month.
