A MAN from Wrexham breached a football banning order by not handing his passport into police when Wales were playing a Nations League game in Ireland.

Alan Gruffydd Jones, 53, was serving a five-year banning order imposed after he was convicted of assaulting a steward at a Wrexham/Chester match.

The stringent conditions of the order required him to surrender his passport and notify the Football Banning Authority of any changes of address.

Prosecutor John Wilde told North East Wales Magistrates Court the order was imposed in January 2014 and required Jones to surrender his passport on the occasions when the Welsh national team were playing away from home.

“On October 16 Wales were playing the Republic of Ireland and the Football Banning Authority wrote to him reminding him to surrender his passport,” said Mr Wilde.

“He had previously left his passport with police, but he failed to surrender his current passport.

“When police attended his address they were informed he had moved while the order also requires him to notify such changes.”

Jones, of Bowling Bank, admitted three counts of failing to comply with a football banning order; by failing to surrender his passport on October 12, failing to notify the receipt of a new passport on the same date and failing to notify the authorities of a change of address on November 17.

Jones said he had left his old passport with police and had asked for mail to be sent on from his old address. He admitted it was an oversight that he had not informed the authority of the address change.

The Mold court heard he had not attended a football match in five years and his solicitor Phillip Lloyd-Jones said: “There was some pushing and shoving at a Wrexham/Chester game and poor Mr Jones collided with a steward who suffered a minor injury and he was charged with assault.

“He was placed under very stringent conditions and, as it is of his nature, he left his passport with North Wales Police.

"He replaced it but forgot he had left the old one at the police station.

“He apologises for his errant behaviour, but the order is actually coming to an end soon.”

Magistrates were satisfied Jones had kept within the guidelines of the order for most of its duration and handed him a two-year conditional discharge with costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £25.