Football hooligan back behind bars

A Wolves hooligan who punched a rival in the face after enjoying an early release from jail is today behind bars.

A judge has now questioned why bricklayer Stephen Howe was not sent straight back to jail after being caught taking part in a brawl in Wolverhampton city centre. District Judge Martin Brown jailed the 38-year-old for four months and banned him from matches for six years after hearing how he lashed out after his team lost to Birmingham City at Molineux last April.

Howe appeared before Wolverhampton Magistrates Court yesterday where he admitted a public order offence. The court heard he had been arrested for fighting while on early release from a 12-month sentence for violence involving Wolves fans in Leicester Square. "He should have been recalled," the judge said. "A question mark arises as to why he wasn't."

Howe, who is well-known to anti-hooligan police, was caught on CCTV marching through the city centre with dozens of other troublemakers following Wolves' 3-2 defeat by Blues.

Surveillance footage showed fans chanting and swearing as they vaulted barriers on the ring road at Stafford Street, near KwikFit.

The court heard there was a "hostile atmosphere" as Howe, of Bee Lane, Fordhouses, joined 30 to 40 yobs trying to confront the visiting supporters.

He was seen running and punching Blues fan Bobby Fuller on the left cheek. Howe claimed he struck out because the victim had a knife but no weapon was recovered.

Jailing Howe for 16 weeks, District Judge Martin Brown said: "You are before somebody who is a football fan.

"Members of the public who support football look somewhat despicably on people like you who bring a bad name to the sport," added the judge.

The Leicester Square violence during 2004, which a court ruled was not linked to football, saw Wolves supporters fighting with strangers.