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| Olympic sprint final bottle-thrower given community order | Olympic sprint final bottle-thrower given community order |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| The man who threw a plastic beer bottle at competitors at the start of the Olympic men's 100m final has been sentenced to an eight-week community order. | The man who threw a plastic beer bottle at competitors at the start of the Olympic men's 100m final has been sentenced to an eight-week community order. |
| Ashley Gill-Webb, 34, of South Milford, near Leeds, who has bipolar disorder, was found guilty of public disorder at Stratford magistrates court in east London last month. | Ashley Gill-Webb, 34, of South Milford, near Leeds, who has bipolar disorder, was found guilty of public disorder at Stratford magistrates court in east London last month. |
| Sentencing him at Thames magistrates court, the district judge, William Ashworth, told Gill-Webb: "Your intention was to target the highest-profile event at the London Olympics and put off Usain Bolt. | Sentencing him at Thames magistrates court, the district judge, William Ashworth, told Gill-Webb: "Your intention was to target the highest-profile event at the London Olympics and put off Usain Bolt. |
| "The potential harm of triggering a false start was significant. By good fortune, you failed. You did, however, spoil the occasion for some spectators and tarnish the spirit of the Games." | "The potential harm of triggering a false start was significant. By good fortune, you failed. You did, however, spoil the occasion for some spectators and tarnish the spirit of the Games." |
| Gill-Webb will be electronically monitored and be subject to a 7pm to 7am curfew. He was also ordered to pay a £1,500 contribution to costs. | Gill-Webb will be electronically monitored and be subject to a 7pm to 7am curfew. He was also ordered to pay a £1,500 contribution to costs. |
| The judge said: "You suffer from bipolar disorder. At the time of the offence, you were in the throes of a manic episode. This made you over-confident and your behaviour risky. I have reduced your punishment to take account of the effects of your illness." | The judge said: "You suffer from bipolar disorder. At the time of the offence, you were in the throes of a manic episode. This made you over-confident and your behaviour risky. I have reduced your punishment to take account of the effects of your illness." |
| He said Gill-Webb's behaviour was serious enough to demand punishment, but thought he was unlikely to offend again. | He said Gill-Webb's behaviour was serious enough to demand punishment, but thought he was unlikely to offend again. |
| Gill-Webb used an old ticket to get into the Olympic Park and then the stadium on 5 August. He hurled abuse at athletes including Bolt and then threw a bottle on to the track as the final began. It landed behind the lane markers and the sprinters as they raced out of their blocks in the showpiece race. | Gill-Webb used an old ticket to get into the Olympic Park and then the stadium on 5 August. He hurled abuse at athletes including Bolt and then threw a bottle on to the track as the final began. It landed behind the lane markers and the sprinters as they raced out of their blocks in the showpiece race. |
| Bolt, the world record-holder and defending champion, won in 9.63 seconds, ahead of his Jamaican team-mate Yohan Blake and the American Justin Gatlin. | Bolt, the world record-holder and defending champion, won in 9.63 seconds, ahead of his Jamaican team-mate Yohan Blake and the American Justin Gatlin. |
| Gill-Webb was found guilty of intending to cause the sprinters harassment, alarm or distress by using threatening, abusive or disorderly behaviour, contrary to section 4 of the Public Order Act. | Gill-Webb was found guilty of intending to cause the sprinters harassment, alarm or distress by using threatening, abusive or disorderly behaviour, contrary to section 4 of the Public Order Act. |
| The prosecutor, Helen Shaw, said the high-profile nature of the incident and the fact that the world was watching were aggravating factors, along with the location from which the bottle was hurled. | The prosecutor, Helen Shaw, said the high-profile nature of the incident and the fact that the world was watching were aggravating factors, along with the location from which the bottle was hurled. |
| It was a "once-in-a-four-year event watched by millions of people around the world", she said. "Some of the people who were in that area missed the event and had paid up to £4,000 a ticket." | It was a "once-in-a-four-year event watched by millions of people around the world", she said. "Some of the people who were in that area missed the event and had paid up to £4,000 a ticket." |
| Tom Barley, defending, said Gill-Webb had risked inflicting "massive embarrassment on the country". He had since lost his job as a result of the bad publicity triggered by the case, and had two young children to look after, the court heard. | Tom Barley, defending, said Gill-Webb had risked inflicting "massive embarrassment on the country". He had since lost his job as a result of the bad publicity triggered by the case, and had two young children to look after, the court heard. |
| Noting that alcohol did not have any influence, Barley suggested that for someone dealing with a mental illness on a day-to-day basis, "it must have been the worst day for it to happen, in the 100m final". | Noting that alcohol did not have any influence, Barley suggested that for someone dealing with a mental illness on a day-to-day basis, "it must have been the worst day for it to happen, in the 100m final". |
| Gill-Webb is being treated for his illness. | Gill-Webb is being treated for his illness. |
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