Football fans indulged in assaulting referees can be jailed for up to 10 years depending on the severity of the crime, according to Legal practitioner Nii Adamah Sackey.
The astute lawyer made this known during the launch of the Happy 98.9FM’s RespectTheReferee Campaign on Tuesday.
Lawyer Nii Adamah Sackey said when you assault a referee in a game, one is liable to 10 years in prison and a huge fine.
In some cases, he stated that a person may be jailed for life should the assault be termed as a first-degree felony according to the law.
Speaking via phone during the launch, Lawyer Nii Adamah Sackey explained the various offenses and its charges, “In our criminal offense ACT 29 Section 84, on the offense of assault, the law explains it in three ways that if you touch someone without his consent with the intention of causing harm, it is against the law.
“Taking hostage of a referee on the field, or in the dressing room is against the law and the law terms that as imprisonig the referee. Causing harm is also termed as assault. Those liable will be jailed. If you are taken to court for such an offense you can be jailed for up to 10 years. For causing harm, in law, it is second-degree felony so one can be jailed for up to 10 years”.
“The third one is the use of offensive weapons; if that is used on the referee and you are liable then you can be jailed for life. Also when you threaten the referee, you can be jailed for up to 10 years or be fined. The last one is threat of death that is if you threaten the referee and you are arrested which is classified as second-degree felony, you can also be jailed.
What is RespectTheReferee Campaign?
The Respect the Referee program is an educational and advocacy campaign to educate the fans and public on the laws of the game.
Its main target is to educate the public on the need to desist from assaulting referees during and after games.