• London Olympics 2012

Olympic bottle thrower found guilty

ESPN staff
January 11, 2013
Ashley Gill-Webb was found guilty of throwing a plastic beer bottle in the Olympic Stadium © Getty Images
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The man who threw a plastic beer bottle on to the track at the start of the men's 100m final at the London 2012 Olympics has been found guilty of public disorder.

Ashley Gill-Webb, 34, who was arrested at the Olympic Stadium on August 5 last year after shouting abuse at athletes including Usain Bolt, was found guilty of two public order offences at Stratford Magistrates' Court.

His lawyers said he was suffering from a "manic episode" at the time, but Gill-Webb, who has bipolar affective disorder, was found guilty of intending to cause the finalists harassment, alarm or distress by using threating, abusive or disorderly behaviour. Gill-Webb had denied the offences but his DNA was later found on the bottle.

District Judge William Ashworth granted Gill-Webb conditional bail until the sentencing and said he would limit the maximum sentence to a community-based penalty.

He said: "The video, in my view, quite clearly shows Mr Gill-Webb checking to see if he is under observation before taking the risk of throwing the bottle. I am sure that he was at that point weighing up the chances of being caught. I am sure, therefore, that he was at that point acting rationally and wrongly."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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