Wolves fan who mocked A66 crash victims receives four-year football ban

A Wolverhampton Wanderers fan who mocked the seven people killed in the A66 road tragedy has been banned from football for four years and handed an eight-week jail term suspended for 12 months, following a hearing at Wolverhampton Magistrates’ Court.

Bradley Aston, 20, from the Coalpool area of Walsall, pleaded guilty to a public order offence after footage circulated on social media showing him smiling and holding up a mobile phone displaying the message “Police Killed Your Own” towards Middlesbrough supporters. He was arrested at the Riverside Stadium following Middlesbrough’s 1-0 victory over Wolves.

Deputy district judge Steven Jonas told Aston the offence was “unbelievably serious” and that, prior to recent changes introduced by the Sentencing Act 2026, a custodial sentence would have been inevitable. “The words that you used were intended to cause not just maximum offence but, as importantly as that, they were intended to provoke a response,” Jonas said. “That could have resulted in a substantial disorder. Not only have you offended a vast number of people, you deliberately ran the risk of causing a substantial violent reaction.”

The A66 crash claimed the lives of two Cleveland Police officers — PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38 — after a VW Passat travelling the wrong way on a dual carriageway struck a police vehicle. All five occupants of the Passat also died at the scene: Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, Jakub Matusiak, 23, and Michael Robert Cahill, 23.

Cleveland Police’s chief constable condemned Aston’s actions in a statement read to the court, describing them as “vile” and saying they had caused widespread distress among her workforce, officers’ families, and the wider community. “My officers have faced an unprecedented level of trauma that will stay with them forever,” she said. “To see such a vile message has created feelings of grief, anger and dismay.” She added that some staff may be unable to return to work as a result.

Aston was held in custody for his own safety after the footage spread online. The court heard he is a student considering withdrawing from a sport performance analysis course, and that the conviction would significantly affect his career prospects. Acknowledging his remorse, Jonas opted against imposing the maximum five-year banning order. The four-year ban covers all regulated football matches, including Euro 2028.