Fan who attacked police at Manchester United v Aston Villa is banned from matches for six years and jailed

A 29-year-old has been jailed for 22 weeks after attacking two police officers at Old Trafford.

Aaron Saunders was also banned from attending football matches for six years following an incident at Manchester United v Aston Villa on Monday.

Salford magistrates heard Saunders, from Higher Furlong Road, Devon, had verbally abused two members of staff and assaulted the two police officers.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of racially/religiously aggravated intentional harassment/alarm/distress and two counts of assault by beating of an emergency worker.

PC Matt Ford, of GMP’s Specialist Operations, said: “Attending a football game should be an enjoyable experience and people who behave like Saunders did on Monday night take away from that - discouraging law abiding fans from attending, especially young families. “I hope this swift action reassures football fans and those who work in the industry that Greater Manchester Police and the justice system take this issue seriously and take steps to prevent it.”