Chesterfield: Man fined after drone halts crunch play-off match

A man has been ordered to pay more than £3,500 after he flew a drone over a football match, causing the game to be halted.

Lewis Franks flew the device over Chesterfield FC's Technique Stadium during their National League play-off semi-final against Bromley on 7 May.

Players were taken off the pitch for several minutes due to safety concerns.

Franks, 27, wept as he was sentenced at North East Derbyshire and Dales Magistrates' Court on Monday.

He pleaded guilty to charges of flying a drone above assemblies of people, flying beyond visual line of sight, failing to register as a drone operator, and failing to display an operator ID on the drone used by a remote pilot.

He also admitted to driving his partner's silver Nissan Juke without insurance and failing to stop when police attempted to apprehend him.

More than 9,600 people were at the National League play-off semi-final match, which was also shown live on BT Sport.

The court heard the drone was flown as low as 20ft (6.1m) above the pitch, prompting referee Scott Simpson to take the players off the field in line with safety protocol.

Chesterfield won the game once play resumed before losing to Notts County in the final a week later.

Franks, of Allsops Place, Chesterfield, was fined £640 and given six penalty points for driving without insurance.

He was fined £426 for failing to stop, £200 for failing to register as a drone operator, £200 for failing to display an operator ID, £500 for flying above assemblies of people and £500 for flying beyond the visual line of sight.

He was also ordered to pay a £986 victim surcharge and £85 costs.

Prosecutor Pardeep Kalyan said: "The match had to be stopped for a short while because the referee saw the drone flying low enough to cause him concern for the safety of the players."

David Gittins, mitigating for Franks, said his actions were "a hobby that has gone wrong".

"He is not being malicious, he is being naive," he said.

"He is being a bit nosey, he is having a look. It's the naivety of someone who has not done their research."

Chairwoman of the bench of magistrates, Jennifer Wood, said: "It's not my job to lecture you. You are not a criminal for this - we have seen far worse - but it was dangerous.

"It seems a shame that you are not going to fly your drone again. I would say, license it, learn how to fly it properly and get the enjoyment out of it that you clearly want."

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