Brighton ban fan convicted of shouting homophobic abuse at Amex Stadium

Luke Reece was overheard directing abuse at nearby Seagulls fans

Pa Sport Staff
Thursday 07 April 2022 04:00 EDT
Luke Reece, 21, was overheard directing abuse at nearby Brighton fans by a member of club staff in the game against Arsenal (Gareth Fuller/PA)
Luke Reece, 21, was overheard directing abuse at nearby Brighton fans by a member of club staff in the game against Arsenal (Gareth Fuller/PA) (PA Archive)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Brighton will hand an indefinite ban to a football supporter who was convicted of shouting homophobic abuse during a Premier League match at the Amex Stadium.

Luke Reece, 21, was overheard directing abuse at nearby Brighton fans by a member of club staff in the game against Arsenal on October 2.

Reece attempted to leave the ground after realising he had been spotted, but he was stopped by staff and police before being arrested.

Following a trial at Brighton Magistrates Court, Reece was on Tuesday convicted of indecent chanting at a designated football match and will serve a football banning order for three years. He was also fined and ordered to pay costs.

Brighton worked closely with Sussex Police on the case and following the guilty verdict will implement their own additional sanctions.

“We have a zero-tolerance approach on all forms of anti-social behaviour and this includes any form of abuse,” a club spokesman said on Thursday.

“We worked closely with Sussex Police to identify and prosecute the individual concerned and we welcome the guilty verdict from the courts.

“The individual will also be subject to an indefinite ban from the Amex.”

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in