Police horse punched by football hooligan
A police horse was punched during violence between Bristol Rovers and Mansfield Town fans in Bristol on Saturday (3 May).
Police commander Supt Kevin Instance said: “There were small pockets of disorder before the match and a police horse was punched during one of these incidents.”
There was also further violence after the game, when Bristol Rovers were relegated from league 2 after a 1-0 defeat, and mounted officers were again deployed to keep rival fans apart.
“Although the majority of fans were well-behaved, there were 6 arrests made for public order offences and assaults. There are likely to be more arrests as our enquiries continue.”
It is unclear if the fan that punched the horse has been arrested.
There was outrage online last year (14 April) when footage emerged of a Newcastle fan punching a police horse called Bud in the face.
Barry Rogerson, from Bedlington, Northumberland was arrested and was sentenced to a year in prison after pleading guilty to violent disorder last October.
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Sophia Heath joined Horse & Hound in July 2013 having previously worked for the Daily Telegraph's Olympics website, CNN International and Omnisport. A Durham graduate with a Masters in journalism from City University, Sophia has evented, showjumped and hunted. Sophia left Horse & Hound in early 2015 to join an international boating website.