Roma fan sentenced to three and a half years for assault at Anfield

LONDON (Reuters) – An AS Roma fan who attacked a Liverpool fan outside the English club's Anfield stadium last April, causing him serious brain damage, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison on Thursday at Preston Crown Court.

Simone Mastrelli, 30, had pleaded guilty to the attack on Irish father-of-three Sean Cox, 53, before the Champions League semi-final first leg between the two teams.

Judge Mark Brown said in sentencing the Italian, who was extradited last month under a European arrest warrant, that Mastrelli had destroyed the lives of an innocent man and his family.

AS Roma president James Pallotta, who made a personal donation of 50,000 euros ($56,900) to cover medical and rehabilitation costs, last April called the attack on Cox “the most stupid disgusting.”

Cox's daughter Shauna said in a victim impact statement to the court that her father went to watch the game with her brother but “never came home”.

“This violent and unprovoked attack on Dad has left him in a dire situation. His future is uncertain and we don't know how he will progress and that really scares us,” she said.

“The goal now is to get him the appropriate care he needs.”

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Toby Davis)