LONDON -- A judge Monday sentenced five 'of the nastiest, most ruthless and most vicious' soccer fans to up to 10 years in prison for organizing six years of violence that frequently turned English and European stadiums into battlefields.
Mounting soccer violence, which was giving English soccer fans a notorious reputation across Europe, prompted police in 1985 to mount 'Operation Own Goal,' in which undercover officers infiltrated a London gang of 'soccer hooligans' who had been provoking violence at matches.
Monday, Judge George Schindler sentenced five convicted soccer hooligans to prison terms ranging from five to 10 years and said they were 'some of the nastiest, most ruthless and most vicious men for whom violence appeared to be a way of life.'
The five, calling themselves the 'Chelsea Headhunters,' attended the matches of the London-based Chelsea team. Armed with surgical knives and other weapons such as crossbows and machetes, they incited crowds into frenzies and led attacks on rival club supporters.
In one attack, a man knifed in a pub after a game needed 140 stitches. In two years the gang contributed to scores of riots and fights at soccer games, instituting what police described as a 'reign of terror.'
In sentencing law office clerk Terry Last, 24, a teetotaller who liked birdwatching but was the club's self-styled 'commander-in-chief,' Schindler said the man behaved like a power-mad general in leading violence.
'He strutted like a little tinpot leader whose vanity and arrogance knew no bounds, glorifying and reveling in violence,' the judge said.
Police said Last kept a diary of his exploits, which revealed he had a series of bank accounts containing thousands of dollars to fund the gang members travels throughout Europe and as far as Chile to whip up fan violence.
One policemen who watched him during soccer violence testified that Last became 'like a completely different person -- he completely changed, his lips came over his teeth, he was completely distorted in anger.'
Before sentencing, Last trembled in front of the judge. But when his 10-year sentence was handed down, he showed no emotion.
Stephen Hickmott, 31, identified as the gang's 'second in command,' also received 10 years. Three others received terms ranging from five toseven years.
The violence reached its worst in a May 1985 riot in Brussels, which led to the death of 39 people, most of them Italians. It was sparked by supporters of Liverpool at the European Champions Cup final against Juventus of Italy.
