“He did nothing wrong.”
The father of Alexander Booth, one of a handful of England supporters who were sentenced to prison time in Marseille this week, is determined to fight to clear his son’s name.
20-year-old Booth has been jailed for two months and banned from travelling to France for two years, after allegedly throwing a bottle at the local police.
Father of Alexander Booth was seen in tears after the England fan was jailed over violence at Euro2016. https://t.co/3ZWDM4XPVQ
— Global's Newsroom (@GlobalsNewsroom) June 13, 2016
Prior to being sentenced, the Huddersfield-born fan told the court:
“I would like to say sorry to the police and to the people and city of Marseille. This is not like me. I’m not a violent person.
“I love my job and my family. I’ve never been involved in football hooliganism. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
His pleas were ignored as the judge dished out the sentence, and Alexander’s father, Chris Booth, reacted with sadness and anger at the verdict. He staunchly protests his son’s innocence.
“They’re making scapegoats out of poor kids like Alex. Find the real thugs. He’s thrown nothing – he’s been coerced into saying he’s thrown something. He’s thrown nothing – I was with him all the time.”
“I said ‘Don’t worry Alex I’ll fight it.’ It’s a joke. It’s pathetic.”
UEFA have threatened to ban England and Russia from Euro 2016 if there is further violence.
Father of 20-year-old Alexander Booth, who was jailed for 2 months for throwing a bottle in Marseille, speaks out. https://t.co/fnhWNZbdoZ
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) June 14, 2016
