Falklands War veteran who was at Sheffield's Hillsborough disaster is spared from jail after pub affray

Sheffield Crown Court heard on August 9 how Glen Booth, aged 62, of Waycliffe, Monk Bretton, Barnsley, had been arguing with his partner outside The Full House pub, at Monk Bretton, when he smashed a bottle of wine as another customer tried to calm him down.

Brian Outhwaite, prosecuting, said Booth was having an argument with his partner and as another customer intervened because he did not like what was being said by the defendant, Booth stood up and smashed a bottle of wine.

Mr Outhwaite said: “This defendant became angry and appeared to stand up quickly from the table smashing a bottle of wine at the table causing it to break and he made a gesture to others in the vicinity and made a gesture with the bottle in the air.”

Booth threatened to knock out the other man, according to Mr Outhwaite, but the defendant walked away as the landlady came out of the pub.

The defendant admitted to police that he had been arguing with his partner and he had taken exception to being challenged by another customer but he apologised.

Booth, who has previous convictions for offences including threatening behaviour and assault, pleaded guilty to the affray following the incident on August 9, 2020.

Judge Roger Thomas acknowledged that Booth had served in the Falklands War and was present at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough football stadium disaster, that he had taken to drink and that this had spiralled into criminal behaviour.

After considering a pre-sentence report and a psychological report, Judge Thomas said Booth is a man who suffers with a complex post-traumatic stress disorder and drinks too much.

He told Booth: “You have got a complicated and indeed interesting background. You are said - accurately said by an expert pyschologist – to suffer from a complex PTSD and there are events in your life described in the defence papers which give foundation for that.”

He sentenced Booth to six months of custody suspended for two years with an Alcohol Treatment Order and a Rehabilitation Requirement but warned if he commits another offence in the next two years he faces going to prison.