Humberside Police under investigation following arrest at Grimsby Town v Doncaster Rovers match

Steve Jones
By Steve Jones
Published 15th Dec 2022, 15:02 BST
Updated 16th Dec 2022, 12:17 BST
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A police force is under investigation for its use of force against a Doncaster Rovers fan who was arrested at a match.

Marcus Murphy was one of six people detained as supporters of Rovers and Grimsby Town clashed in the Cleethorpes area before and after their fixture on Saturday, 12 November.

The 28-year-old of Windermere Avenue, Doncaster, has since been charged with two counts of assault on an emergency worker and is set to appear in court at a later date.

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Humberside Police, who are handling the investigation, confirmed a complaint has been made against them relating to their use of force during Murphy’s arrest.

A general view of Blundell Park, home of Grimsby Town (photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images).A general view of Blundell Park, home of Grimsby Town (photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images).
A general view of Blundell Park, home of Grimsby Town (photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images).

The complaint was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), who oversee complaints made against police in England and Wales.

The IOPC has since instructed the force to investigate the incident internally.

Humberside Police could not confirm how long their investigation would take to conclude.

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A spokesperson told The Free Press: “We can confirm a complaint was received in relation to the use of force at a football match on Saturday, 12 November.

“The complaint was referred the IOPC who have now instructed our Professional Standards department to investigate the matter.”

An IOPC spokesperson said: “We received a referral from Humberside Police of a complaint relating to the use of force during the arrest of a football fan attending a match on 12 November.

“After carefully assessing the available information we directed the force to carry out a local investigation.

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"If, on conclusion of that investigation, the complainant is not satisfied with the handling of their complaint, they will have a right of review which would come to us.”

Michael Yarborough, aged 35, of Howdon Road, North Shields has been charged with a section five public order offence in relation to the same investigation into crowd trouble.

He is also due to appear in court on a date yet to be fixed.

Four more people arrested following the clashes have since been released on bail.

Almost 1,200 Doncaster supporters made the trip to Lincolnshire to see their team win 3-1.

The match was attended by more than 8,000 fans.