Victorian man Alex Agelopoulos has won his appeal in court to avoid jail time, according to The Age.
The 24-year-old was charged over an incident that took place on December 17 last year, when he threw a bucket of sand at an A-League goalkeeper during a violent pitch invasion.
The goalkeeper, Tom Glover, was taken to hospital just after the soccer match between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City.
At the time, Agelopoulos was sentenced to three months in jail.
When launching an appeal to the Victorian County Court, Agelopoulos’ lawyers argued it was unfair he was the only one of the pitch invaders to receive a prison term.
His sentence was overturned on Friday, with Judge Mark Gamble finding that Agelopoulos’ actions were not so significantly different to his co-offenders to warrant a term of imprisonment.
Judge Gamble instead resentenced Agelopoulos to a 3½-year community corrections order, with 350 hours of unpaid work.
Agelopoulos will also have to undergo drug and alcohol testing and treatment, as well as participate in a men’s violence reduction program. He remains banned from football matches for five years.
Source: The Age.
