A Coatbridge schoolboy accused of throwing a lighter at Rangers captain James Tavernier has been cleared after the case against him collapsed because police hadn’t watched CCTV of the alleged incident.
The 16-year-old was at the SPFL Premiership clash between Motherwell and Rangers in April when items were lobbed on to the pitch at Fir Park.
Footage from the game, beamed live on Sky Sports, showed a lighter and a pie being launched as Tavernier, 27, was trying to take a throw-in.
Referee Nick Walsh stopped the game and handed the lighter to a nearby police officer.
An investigation began to catch those responsible. The 16-year-old, of Coatbridge, was subsequently charged.
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At a trial at Hamilton Sheriff Court, the teenager, who can’t be named because of his age, denied throwing the lighter at Tavernier.
The case collapsed after two police officers said they had only taken statements in the case and had not viewed CCTV footage of the alleged incident.
After hearing evidence for less than 10 minutes, depute fiscal Claire Connachan said: “The Crown is no longer seeking a conviction.”
Sheriff Vincent Smith told the teenager, who sat in the dock wearing his school uniform, the case was over.
