Football Fan Who Ripped Up Koran Banned For 3 Years

A football fan who tore up a copy of the Koran during a match at St Andrew’s is the first woman to be banned from every ground in the country.

Boro supporter Julie Phillips’ ban will last for three years.

The 51 year-old supporter previously admitted tearing up a book at the match between Birmingham City and Middlesbrough last December as Blues drew 2-2 with her team, but said she didn’t realise its religious significance.

She lost her job at Middlesbrough Council.

And she was found guilty of committing a religiously aggravated public order offence at Birmingham Magistrates, along with 18-year-old Gemma Parkin, in April.

Phillips was fined £300 with £430 costs by Birmingham magistrates, but was spared a football banning order.

But yesterday (December 16) at Teesside Magistrates’ Court she was handed an order with a minimum term of three years following an application by Cleveland Police.

Detective Constable Jamie Smith told court that supplementary evidence to support the banning order was not given to magistrates in Birmingham.

He said that on February 23, 2013, Phillips had allegedly racially abused a steward at the Riverside Stadium when Boro lost 2-1 to Millwall.

Det Con Smith said an Asian steward said Phillips called him a “P****” and other stewards “Little Hitlers”