Charges against a West Ham supporter accused of violent disorder have been dropped following a lengthy campaign.
At Inner London Crown Court today, the Crown Prosecution Service offered no evidence against Hammers fan Robert Mortimer who had been charged following a large scale disturbance on the evening of a West Ham v Millwall Carling Cup tie back in August 2009.Mortimer was charged in October 2009, yet the case was dropped less than one week before his trial was due to start.
In the incident that followed the match, he was batoned to the head by a police officer. Pictures of Mortimer lying on the ground bleeding profusely were included in the nationwide coverage of the incident.
A bload-soaked Mortimer, who was subsequently charged with violent disorder
Speaking in reaction to the news, his solicitor - David Sonn - said: "It took the police and CPS 18 months from the date on which my client was charged to acknowledge that the police footage of the incident contradicted the witness statements of four police officers.
"Our client should never have been prosecuted in the first place."
* Something to say about this story? Please visit the KUMB Forum to leave a comment.
