A ROMA fan has been found not guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm on Liverpool fan Sean Cox – but sentenced to three years for violent disorder.

The jury took just under nine hours to reach a verdict in the case of Filippo Lombardi, 21, who denied a charge of grievous bodily harm.

Lombardi was sentenced to three years on a separate charge of violent disorder, which he had admitted before the trial at Preston Crown Court.

About half a dozen members of Mr Cox’s family, including his wife Martina, were in court for the verdict, as were three of Lombardi’s relatives.

Judge Mark Brown said he did not accept evidence Lombardi was not there to cause trouble.

The judge said: “He was the head of the pack. To say he wasn’t intending to cause trouble flies in the face of common sense.”

Cox, 53, suffered “catastrophic injuries” when he was assaulted before the Champions League semi-final on April 24.

On Wednesday, as he summed up the case, Recorder of Preston Judge Mark Brown said: “Football has been described as the beautiful game but the terrible events that took place outside Anfield stadium when Sean Cox was assaulted and suffered catastrophic injuries surely have blighted its reputation.”

The jury at Preston Crown Court was told another man, referred to as N40, was responsible for the punch that knocked Mr Cox to the ground, causing his injuries.

The prosecution alleged Lombardi swung his belt towards Mr Cox as he fell and was jointly responsible for the attack.

The verdict was reached at Preston Crown Court

The trial, which began last Thursday, heard Lombardi arrived at the ground after walking from Liverpool Lime Street train station with a group of 20 to 30 Roma supporters.

Footage taken on Walton Breck Road, which was full of Liverpool supporters ahead of the game, appeared to show Lombardi swinging his belt in the direction of Mr Cox, who was standing with his brother Martin.

Lombardi, who had an Italian interpreter in court but gave most of his evidence in English, claimed he had taken his belt off because he became lost and feared he was walking into a dangerous situation among Liverpool fans outside the ground.