Fan fined for taking free-kick during West Ham-Spurs clash Published duration 1 September 2014

image copyright Getty Images image caption Jordan Dunn said it had long been his dream to "run on the pitch and kick the ball"

A football fan who ran on to the pitch and took a free-kick during a Premier League game "bent it like Beckham", according to the judge sentencing him.

Jordan Dunn, 22, of Dover, admitted invading the pitch during the West Ham-Tottenham Hotspur derby last month.

Fining Dunn £305 for his drunken "moment of madness", District Judge Gareth Branston said: "Regrettably it was about 30mph slower than Beckham."

Dunn told police it was his dream to "run on the pitch and kick the ball".

He apologised in court for invading the pitch.

'Small mercy'

Dunn, who has been a West Ham fan since he was a boy, denied being a hooligan or thug.

Passing sentence at Thames Magistrates' Court in east London, District Judge Gareth Branston said: "You had consumed alcohol and your stride pattern was a bit out of kilter, but to borrow a phrase you did bend it like Beckham.

The judge said the effort was "easily" saved by the West Ham goalkeeper, but referred to Christian Eriksen's subsequent free kick from the same spot, saying: "I understand that the professional footballer who followed you did not do any better."

He also said it was a "small mercy" that Dunn had "decided to remain fully clothed".

The judge decided not to impose a football banning order called for by the prosecution, saying he was taking into account Dunn's previous good character.