Jail for man who stole from Sir Bobby's shrine

Anthony Bond

A MAN who stole tributes from the Sir Bobby Robson memorial site has been sent to prison for eight weeks.

Jamie Underwood, 21, from Burrell Road, Ipswich, was jailed after previously pleading guilty to stealing 28 football shirts from the memorial at the Portman Road stadium on August 15.

The court heard that following his guilty plea last month, Underwood has been the victim of “rogue justice” which has resulted in him being assaulted and receiving threats.

This included one incident of violence against him in the street and another six days ago when somebody went to his house and assaulted him. Underwood, who will soon become a father, has also lost his job since admitting the theft and could lose his home.

Roger Brice, representing Underwood, said: “He has had heaped upon him quite considerable condemnation and that has manifest itself in threats and physical violence.” He added: “This is a young man who potentially has greater fears as to what will happen to him rather than the sentence imposed today. Not least the rogue justice which is being pursued.”

Underwood, who will become a father within the next month, was seen by a member of the public on August 15 with a large quantity of football shirts and memorabilia near the Station Hotel in Burrell Road at around 3am and appeared to be staggering.

When police approached to question him about the shirts, he told them a friend had sold them to him.

However, officers then spotted several messages attached to the shirts in tribute to the former Ipswich Town manager, who died from cancer in July, and concluded he had taken them from the shrine.

Following Sir Bobby's death, many Ipswich Town fans left shirts, scarves and other memorabilia at his statue outside the stadium.

In total 28 shirts, an England flag and a football scarf were recovered.

Mr Brice said: “It was a mindless, thoughtless piece of drunken behaviour.”

Chairman of the bench Anthony Baker told Underwood that his action had caused “outrage” and “distress”.

He sentenced him to eight weeks in prison.