Three men jailed for 'ferocious' attack on Celtic fan that caused brain bleed after Old Firm cup tie

Three men have been jailed for a religiously aggravated assault on a Celtic supporter outside Ibrox stadium that left him with bleeding on the brain following the Scottish Cup quarter-final between Rangers and Celtic on 8 March.

Scott Dragsness, 55, and Ben Stanex, 24, both from Belfast, and Andrew Graham, 21, from Dundonald, admitted knocking their 48-year-old victim to the ground as he attempted to board a Celtic supporters’ bus after Celtic won the match 4-2 on penalties. The three men, all from Northern Ireland, then kicked and stamped on his head and body until he lost consciousness in the road.

Prosecutors told Glasgow Sheriff Court the attack was a hate crime motivated by religious prejudice, with the men shouting religiously abusive language at the victim during the assault. The man was taken to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, where scans confirmed a bleed on the brain.

The entirety of the attack was captured by a police drone monitoring the dispersal of fans from Ibrox, with additional footage recorded by a motorist caught in traffic near the supporters’ bus.

All three pleaded guilty on 7 October to a charge of assault to severe injury and danger of life. At sentencing on Wednesday, Sheriff Andrew McIntyre handed Dragsness 18 months in prison, while Stanex and Graham each received 12-month sentences. The trio were also given seven-year football banning orders, prohibiting them from entering any football ground in the United Kingdom or travelling abroad to support any team.

In his published sentencing remarks, Sheriff McIntyre described the incident as a “concerted act of serious violence”, stating: “Such was the ferocity of the attack that he lost consciousness and was seriously injured. To inflict such violence on a person was an inherently dangerous act which posed an obvious danger of the complainer’s life.”

The sheriff said custodial sentences were necessary to protect the public and deter similar offending, adding that community sentences would be “inadequate” given the gravity of the crime.