A football fan wound up in court after being thrown out of Dens Park for flicking a napkin at a steward.
Ciaran Sinclair was cleared by a sheriff over the bizarre incident minutes before kick-off in a Scottish Premiership match on February 11 this year.
The Dark Blues hosted St Johnstone – the club Sinclair was there to support – in the game that ended 2-1 to the home team.
While being spared the embarrassment of witnessing the last-minute defeat, Mr Sinclair had the indignity of being ejected after a napkin landed near steward Lee Copland.
Sinclair, 22, was initially charged with punching Mr Copland on the head to his injury but this was dropped by the Crown Office, which inserted the napkin flicking charge.
Dundee Sheriff Court was told how Mr Copland and a colleague were patrolling the concourse inside the away section at around 2.45pm.
Prosecutor Larissa Milligan said Sinclair, of Rona Court in Perth, flicked the napkin – which he had produced from his own pocket – and it landed near Mr Copland but did not make contact with him.
“The steward has then removed the accused and police have become involved,” Ms Milligan said.
“The accused was cautioned, arrested and taken to police headquarters.”
Sinclair, a trainee mechanic, pled guilty on the day he was due to stand trial to assaulting Mr Copland during the course of his employment.
But Sheriff George Way struggled to hide his incredulity and remarked: “I thought it was some hospitality suite where a cloth was taken and used for the kind of cracking we used to do with towels when we were stupid boys.”
Sinclair was given an absolute discharge.
This means despite his guilty plea, no criminal conviction is recorded.
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