A group of three Leicester City supporters took off their belts to whip Italian football fans into an ‘ongoing battle’ next to a historic landmark in the city. A number of young men massed next to The Magazine on the inner ring road and tackled each other hours before Leicester took to the pitch against Napoli in September’s Europa League tie last year.

CCTV operators followed the action as the two groups ran at each other with weapons while others watched. During the violence, a Leicester fan was knocked to the ground and kicked while another Foxes fan threw a post at the Italian supporters. CCTV released at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Friday showed several men from both sides pulling their belts and then whipping each other.

Officers arrived and arrested 11 men, including eight Napoli supporters, while a number of other local men were identified and arrested after the match. There was further violence in the stands after the match, LeicestershireLive reported at the time.

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They included Bradley Eden (29), Jack Hemmings (19) and Thomas Vignali (22), who met at The Market Tavern in Hotel Street in the city center before heading to The Magazine, climbing the barriers on the inner ring. road and stopping traffic before running to join the battle, Vignali donning a balaclava for the fight.

All three removed their belts and used them as weapons to whip the Italian men, with Hemmings also using a pole to attack rival fans. The fight lasted several minutes before Leicestershire Police arrived. Eden, Hemmings and Vignali were later arrested and charged with threatening behavior, to which they all pleaded guilty.

Prosecutor Sally Bedford told magistrates: “It was a group action. They had met, meeting at The Market Tavern pub. They all spilled out of the pub and walked down Friar Lane, crossed the road where found the Southgate underpass and the cars had to stop when they scaled the barriers.

“They gathered on a lot near the Newarke homes. It was just after 6 p.m. It’s busy and people were coming home from work, college, university and school. It’s also a residential area with student apartments and people will have witnessed what has been an ongoing battle between football fans.”

The court heard that a number of Napoli fans were treated the day after the incident on September 16, 2021 and were fined. At Friday’s hearing, magistrates also agreed to fine the Leicestershire men, apart from Eden, of Aneford Road, Humberstone, Leicester, who had a previous conviction for an attack in a Leicester nightclub a few years ago.

He was given a 12 month community order with 80 hours of unpaid work. He also had to pay a victim surcharge of £95 and court costs of £85.

Abrar Sayed, representing Eden, told the court that his client used his belt but failed to hit any of the Italians. He said: “Mr Eden has removed his belt but denies having had contact with anyone. He is remorseful and will no longer be associated with the person he was involved with in this incident.”

Vignali, of River Sence Way, Hugglescote, near Coalville, was fined £530 and victim surcharge of £53 and £85 in court costs, while Hemmings, of Fern Close, Thurnby, near of Leicester, was fined £544 along with a victim. additional £54 and £85 court costs.

Sukhdev Bisla, representing both Smith and Hemmings, suggested the fight was a victimless crime. He said: “One wonders if there are any casualties in there. The fear of violence went both ways. These people are all involved in public disorder.”

Bench chairman Dr Grahame Killey told the defendants: “This behavior is completely unacceptable on any street or public place in this country. It is completely shocking.

“It is 6 p.m. and many members of the public were present. This should not have happened.”

Two other men, Ryan Cox (22) and Cory Smith (25) were also before the same magistrates on Friday, after pleading guilty to the same offense. They were both involved in holding up a road sign, which was thrown at the Italian supporters, with Cox picking it up and putting it down again before Smith threw it towards the Napoli supporters.

Paul Tubb, representing Smith, of Barrie Road, Hinckley, described his client as a hard working man who has never been arrested. He said: “He described the arrest as an utterly horrific experience. It shook him to the core.” Smith was fined £653 and fined £65 and £85 in court costs.

Cox, of Kenny Close, Whetstone, was unrepresented and told magistrates at a separate hearing on Friday that he picked up an A-frame traffic sign in a ‘moment of madness’. He said: “When I saw the road sign, in a moment of madness I picked it up and ran with it. I thought, ‘What am I doing? and put it down again.”

Cox was fined £565 with a victim fine surcharge of £57 and costs of £85.