Aaron Cawley, from Cheltenham, ran out on the pitch during Leeds’ match with Sheffield Wednesday last Friday night and punched Kirkland in the face before running back in to the crowd and disappearing.
Cawley told the court how he had been drinking heavily before the game – several cans of lager, three-quarters of a litre of vodka, and seven to ten pints of cider, no less – and was so pissed that he didn’t even know what he had done until he saw the incident on TV replays.
Cawley has been given a 16-week jail sentence as well as a six-year football banning order.
“We are pleased to see the matter dealt with by the courts so quickly,” a Leeds united spokesman has said.
“The club will also ban the individual for life from Elland Road when this banning order expires.
“While we are pleased to see justice brought so quickly, our one disappointment is that we feel the sentence could, and should, have been considerably longer.”
Do you agree – should Cawley have been sentenced to more time behind bars?
Photo: Getty.
