‘Olympics final bottle thrower had manic episode’

Ashley Gill-Webb, 34, used an old ticket to get into the Olympic Park and then into the stadium where he hurled abuse at the Jamaican star before hurling a plastic beer bottle on the track.

Ticketless Gill-Webb had pushed his way to the front of an exclusive seating area and started shouting taunts and obscene insults, Stratford Magistrates’ Court in east London heard yesterday. He then threw the beer bottle as the final on August 5 – which Bolt won in 9.63 seconds – began.

Gill-Webb, from South Milford, near Leeds, was eventually restrained by Locog volunteers and arrested.

The 34-year-old denies intending to cause 100m finalists harassment, alarm or distress by using threatening, abusive or disorderly behaviour.

He also denies an alternative charge of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour or disorderly behaviour within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress.

His lawyers claim he was in the grip of a manic episode and could not form an intention to cause harassment, alarm or distress, but the Crown says although he was ill, he knew what he was doing.

Questioning defence psychiatrist Dr Robert Adams, prosecutor Neil King described how Gill-Webb used an old ticket to pass tight security.“He passed through several steps waving an old ticket in front of people to get past security and that was a deliberate act... He thought ‘I want to get into the Olympics and I will do it by waving this ticket’ and it worked.”

But Dr Adams told the court: “I don’t believe that he expected to get into the Olympic Park. I think he thought he would try it. He got into the Olympic Park and was in the Olympic Park for quite a while, and then he thought ‘maybe I can get into the stadium’.”

Consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Richard Latham, for the prosecution, said, however, that although he agreed Gill-Webb was suffering from a manic episode, making him impulsive, elated, and behaving unpredictably, that did not mean he was unable to form an intention.

“He was able to form an intention to do lots of other things, lots of other quite purposeful things, including getting to where he got to, which is a pretty staggering feat given the level of security there was there,” he said.

After Gill-Webb was taken to a police station, his behaviour was described as “somewhat unusual”, the court heard. He told police he had nothing to do with the bottle and was “quite hyper”.

Gill-Webb, who the court heard had manic episodes in 1997 and 1999, did not tell police about any mental health issues. He gave some “no comment” answers in interview, but suggested he was Scottish actor Alan Cumming, and signed his statement with the actor’s name, the court heard.

Gill-Webb, who has since lost his job, was sectioned after the first court hearing and treated at Bootham Park Hospital in York.

The trial continues next Friday.