Man denies Olympic bottle charge

A man charged with a public order offence after a bottle was thrown at the start of the men's Olympic 100m final has pleaded not guilty.

Ashley Gill-Webb, 34, from South Milford, near Leeds, was charged with intentionally causing harassment, alarm or distress under section 4a of the Public Order Act.

He denied the offence when he appeared in the dock at Stratford Magistrates' Court in east London.

Gill-Webb was arrested after the incident on Sunday night at the Olympic Stadium, which led to Dutch world judo champion Edith Bosch intervening. He was granted conditional bail and told he would face trial at Thames Magistrates' Court on September 3.

Gill-Webb wore a white T-shirt with the slogan "Veni, Vidi, Vino". He is charged with using threatening words or behaviour with intent to cause harassment, alarm or distress under Section 4A of the Public Order Act.

District Judge Angus Hamilton adjourned the case for a half-day trial at Thames Courthouse on September 3. He granted Gill-Webb bail on condition that he does not enter any Olympic venue, including the whole of the Olympic Park, and that he resides at his address in Cornmill Court, South Milford, with the exception of the evening before his trial.

Dutch world judo champion Edith Bosch intervened after the incident. The 32-year-old was standing close by when a green plastic drink bottle was thrown from the stands behind the start line.

She said: "I had seen the man walking around earlier and said to people around me that he was a peculiar bloke. Then he threw that bottle and in my emotion I hit him on the back with the flat of my hand. Then he was scooped up by the security. However, he did make me miss the final, and I am very sad about that. I just cannot understand how someone can do something like that."

Bosch's involvement was brought to public attention on Twitter, where she wrote: "A drunken spectator threw a bottle onto the track! I HAVE BEATEN HIM... unbelievable."

Locog chairman Lord Coe said it was "poetic justice" that the man happened to be sitting next to the Dutch judo star.