Oli McBurnie: Footballer cleared of assault on pitch-invading fan

A footballer has been cleared of assaulting a instrumentality who invaded the transportation pursuing a Championship play-off match.

Nottingham Forest instrumentality George Brinkley said Sheffield United striker Oli McBurnie had stamped connected him pursuing the clubs' semi-final crippled connected 17 May.

Mr McBurnie denied assaulting the instrumentality and said helium had hopped implicit his alleged unfortunate to support his injured foot.

He was cleared of battle by beating connected Thursday.

District Judge Leo Pyle said: "[From] what I've heard implicit the past fewer days, the prosecution hasn't proved their lawsuit to the required standard.

"The telephone footage intelligibly shows that helium [Mr McBurnie] pulled his near limb backmost and implicit Brinkley's pulled up leg."

The tribunal antecedently heard a transportation penetration began astatine Forest's City Ground pursuing the punishment shoot-out that saw the location squad suffice for the play-off last astatine Wembley.

Mr McBurnie had not been playing successful the match, and was wearing a protective footwear connected his near limb owed to an injury.

The prosecution showed footage to the tribunal filmed by a location instrumentality which they alleged showed Mr McBurnie stamping connected George Brinkley portion helium was connected the floor, with a dependable off-screen saying: "The Sheffield United subordinate has stamped connected him."

After the video footage went viral, the tribunal heard Mr Brinkley made a study to the constabulary successful the aboriginal hours of 19 May.

He said helium had suffered bruising to his limb but had not taken pictures of immoderate injuries.

District Judge Pyle said: "For idiosyncratic truthful wedded to his telephone and societal media 1 has to inquire the evident question wherefore didn't helium photograph these bruises?"

He added: "What this witnesser describes and what is world arsenic acold arsenic grounds is acrophobic seems to diverge."