Man charged with flying drone above Chesterfield's stadium which saw football match halted

The referee took the players off the pitch for several minutes before the device was seen to land.

A man has been charged with flying a drone above a football stadium which saw the players taken off the pitch.

Lewis Franks has been charged with flying a drone above Chesterfield FC’s Technique Stadium in Derbyshire during the club’s game against Bromley in the National League play-off semi-final on 7 May.

The referee, Scott Simpson, took the players off the pitch for several minutes in line with safety protocols before the device was seen to land, Derbyshire Police said.

Franks, of Allsops Place, Chesterfield, will appear at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court on 8 June charged with flying a drone above assemblies of people, flying beyond visual line of sight, failing to register as a drone operator and failing to display an operator ID on the drone used by a remote pilot.

The 27-year-old will also appear charged with 14 other offences between 6 April and 2 May, including nine charges of flying a drone above 120 metres and five charges of flying a drone beyond visual line of sight.

These further incidents allegedly took place in Chesterfield, Unstone, Ashbourne and Sudbury.

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