McDiarmid Park pitch invasion fan banned for life

Feb 5 2010

A FOOTBALL fan who tried to invade the pitch during a St Johnstone match was banned from McDiarmid Park for life.

Donald Burd (30) was also fined £400 at Perth Sheriff Court after pleading guilty to committing a breach of the peace at the Crieff Road stadium, to the alarm of others, on October 17.

The court was told that the match against Rangers was only around 15 minutes old when Saints scored.

“The accused was seen to jump over the wall at the front of the East Stand and run towards the pitch in celebration,” stated depute fiscal Katie Pacholek.

“Police who were on duty on the east side of the touchline were able to apprehend him before he made it onto the pitch.”

Solicitor Linda Clark described the incident as “extremely foolish behaviour.”

“For his troubles, he was arrested, removed from the park and taken into police custody,” she said.

“He was detained for two nights before appearing in court on October 19.”

Burd, of Miller Street, Inverness, will pay the fine at £75 a month. He was on bail at the time of the Perth offence.

l THE ‘PA’ can reveal that this was Burd’s second fine – and ban – after causing trouble at McDiarmid Park.

In November, 2004, he was fined £350 at Perth Sheriff Court for throwing a plastic sauce bottle at an assistant referee during a match against Clyde.

The court heard that the missile narrowly missed the official as the Perth side slumped to a 3-1 defeat on March 20 that year.

A player noticed the bottle on the pitch about 4.30pm. It had been launched from the stand.

Burd, who lived in Brora, Sutherland, at the time, appeared to have evaded capture for the breach of the peace.

But he was later apprehended after police scanned CCTV footage from the game.