Fan who mocked dead player at derby match fined and banned from football

A Sheffield Wednesday fan who held up a message at the Steel City derby mocking the recent death of a former Sheffield United player has been fined £300 and given a football banning order.

A district judge described Brandon Pedryc’s actions as a “moment of madness” after hearing how the 23-year-old typed out “Where’s Baldock” in large letters on his phone and waved it at rival fans during the Championship match at United’s Bramall Lane ground on November 11.

The message was a reference to the death of former United player George Baldock, who died in Greece a month earlier at the age of 31, Sheffield Magistrates’ Court heard on Monday.

District Judge Marcus Waite said he accepted Pedryc’s claim to police that he was responding to being pelted by coins and a bottle, as well as being spat on, by United fans who were in a tier of the stand above the visiting Wednesday supporters.

And the judge also accepted that Pedryc was not directly responsible for his message being quickly shared nationwide on social media, although he said this response could have been predicted by the defendant.

But the judge said: “There was significant upset caused.”

He said: “I have no doubt that distress was caused to the fans involved. And there must have been enormous distress to the family and friends of the deceased player, which followed from your actions even if that was not what you intended.”

The judge told Pedryc that “you may have been provoked but you reacted by raising the stakes”, adding that “risked greater disorder” in the highly charged environment of the derby match.

Judge Waite said that after the “moment of madness”, the defendant “seemed to have done the right thing throughout” – describing how he approached a police officer in Sheffield city centre within an hour of the incident, once he realised the message had gone viral on social media.

The court was told that this officer made a note of what Pedryc admitted but said he did not think a crime had been committed. But Pedryc was later arrested after a review by a more senior officer.

The defendant told interviewing police officers it was “a sick joke, nothing more” and he just wanted to to “wind up” the United fans.

District Judge Waite said he had received a lengthy letter from Pedryc and accepted he was “thoroughly remorseful”.

Pedryc, who lives in Barnsley, admitted displaying writing, a sign or other visible representation which was threatening or abusive within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress.

He was fined £300, ordered to pay £205 in costs and surcharges, and given a football banning order for three years.

Alex Nolan, defending, told the court how his client had already lost his £30k job because of the incident, although he said he had now secured other employment.

Mr Nolan also outlined Pedryc’s struggles with mental health issues and said police had wanted to deal with the matter with a caution, but the Crown Prosecution Service disagreed.

He said his client, who had no previous convictions, had made a poor decision and it was “conduct he’s ashamed of”.

Mr Nolan said Pedryc was a Wednesday season ticket holder who had attended home matches for 15 years but did not normally go to away fixtures.

George Baldock, who was a Greek international right back, was found dead in his swimming pool in Athens in October.

He made 219 appearances for the Blades over seven seasons before leaving last year to join the Greek side Panathinaikos.