Police appeal over derby trouble
Police have released images of people they need to trace following football violence after the Tyne-Wear derby.
Police have released images of people they need to trace following football violence after the Tyne-Wear derby.
The man seen punching a police horse during the football violence in Newcastle at the weekend has insisted he is an animal lover.
Barry Rogerson, 45, from Morpeth in Northumberland, was caught on camera lashing out at a police horse before he was hauled to the ground by officers.
Speaking to newspapers today, the unemployed factory worker accepted he acted stupidly, but said the horse startled him and made him panic.
He told the Daily Mirror: "I reacted stupidly. I did not go out to attack a horse.
"I love animals - I've got three dogs, a fish pond out the back and I feed foxes across the road."
He said the pictures made the incident look worse than it was but that he had no excuse.
A football fan who was filmed attempting to punch a police horse has told ITV News that he is ashamed of his actions.
A police horse seen being punched by a football fan is "safe and well" this morning, its police force said.