Couple Joanne Peters and Aaron Rose have said they "could have been killed" after football fan John Ryan fell on them from the upper tier of a stand at Ipswich Town's Portman Road

A couple have spoken out about their horror after a "tipsy" football fan has been acquitted by a jury after he fell on them from the upper tier of a stand at Ipswich Town's Portman Road. Joanne Peters, 54, and Aaron Rose, 46, said they "could have been killed" in the incident.

Joanne and Ipswich fan Aaron were hit by Maidstone supporter John Ryan after he tumbled over the upper tier grandstand on January 27, 2024, after drinking five cans of Fosters lager.

Ryan, 62, was celebrating the first goal when he landed on Aaron and Joanne - who suffers from scoliosis which is a curvature of the spine.

The 62-year-old had denied one count of assault by beating and one count of actual bodily harm and was cleared by a jury at Ipswich Crown Court last week.

But Ipswich Town supporters Joanne and Aaron, from Woodbridge in Suffolk, said they feel let down by the verdict and are calling for tighter safety measures at football games.

Joanne, customer success manager and parish council clerk said: "Maidstone scored first and all of a sudden there was this loud bang, bang, bang.

"Next thing I know, I was being crushed forward in my seat. "We couldn't believe our eyes - there was a man sprawled across the people in front of us. He'd hit me as he fell onto my neck and shoulder.

"I could have died. I felt lucky to be alive. We feel let down by everybody involved. If there are any places in a stadium where someone could potentially fall, there should be adequate safety measures in place."

Footage shows the moment Ryan tumbles over the upper tier and into the crowd of Ipswich Town supporters below, including Joanne and Aaron.

Maidstone pulled off one of the greatest upsets in FA Cup history after the club won in a televised match which saw them score 2-1 over Ipswich Town.

Joanne was at the game with her partner and life-long supporter Aaron, whose family connection with the Premier League team can be traced back to the 1920s.

The couple had booked seats in the lower tier to get a good view of the stadium's new pitch - with Maidstone supporters sat above them.

Mum-of-three Joanne said: "Ipswich weren't playing that well and I could hear all this noise from above us. These particular fans, however, were like a herd of elephants.

"Aaron had told me there were the Maidstone supporters and it reminded him of the rowdy crowds of the late 80s and early 90s.

"When it happened, I originally thought the directors box behind us had collapsed. We were in absolute shock when he saw him [Ryan]. Where had this man even come from?"

Engineer Aaron had been kicked in the back of the head while Joanne had taken the brunt of Ryan's fall as he landed on top of her.

In CCTV footage of the incident, at least two other men can be seen looking to scramble over the grandstand and down the box - before being pulled back by supporters and stewards.

Ipswich Crown Court heard how Ryan, of Chatham in Kent, had five cans of Fosters beer before the game, and described himself as being "tipsy".

During the celebrations, he said he had ended up on the stairs and wasn't sure if he bumped into someone or if his foot slipped - insisting the fall was accidental.

"Ipswich born and bred" Aaron, who even has his own collection of the club's memorabilia dating back to 1936, said "Mr Ryan looked dazed and drunk.

"You could smell alcohol on him. I quickly realised someone had come off the top and my biggest concern was Joanne.

"It was an extremely serious thing what happened but it could have been so much worse. He could have even killed himself."

Ryan told the court he "didn't deliberately go anywhere" and he "just couldn't" stop himself as there was nothing to grab onto as he rolled down.

The court also heard how he missed work through his own injuries to his arm and leg. The club introduced glass screens at the bottom of the upper tier following the fall following an appeal from Joanne - but none were in place on the day of the incident.

Joanne, who is 5'1, was diagnosed with internal bruising, whiplash, and a severe trapped nerve - spending the next few months in agony.

She also said she has suffered trauma since the event, including flashbacks of the incident which took place on the oldest stand in the stadium.

Joanne, who had previously been involved in a severe car crash in her 20s, explained: "I was in agony. The impact was likened to that from a car crash.

"I went back and forth to A&E, rolling around in pain and sobbing my eyes out. I was given a cocktail of drugs and I was like a zombie.

"I broke my sternum in a car accident years ago but this was the worst pain I've ever been in in my life. Because of my scoliosis, it made it so worse.

"My daughters could have lost their mum, and my elderly mum could have lost her daughter. Ryan could have broken my neck."

Joanne and Aaron were later informed the CPS had authorised charges and arrested Ryan, although they had not complained directly themselves.

But it was almost three years later the trial at Ipswich Crown Court was heard and Ryan was acquitted unanimously by a jury on all counts.

Mr Ryan was sentenced at Maidstone Magistrates' Court along with two other men for assaulting a man at Halling railway station in Kent last month.

The British Transport Police said he was given a three-year order banning him from any football ground in the UK.

The couple said they also feel let down by the response by the club, claiming they have not had a phone call to check on their condition in the time since the incident took place.

Aaron said: "I've been watching matches at Ipswich Town since the 80s and fans were always treated with a much firmer hand and better policing.

"The bottom line is that Mr Ryan was been cleared by a jury on all counts. But we feel let down as all we wanted to do is watch a football game.

"We were told they followed all the rules but now we live in fear accidentally aggravating that nerve could leave Joanne in severe, ongoing pain. She lives with the pain and together we have to navigate that.

"We want to look at the safety issues - I'm not worried about whether it's never happened before, I want to know what's going to happen in the after.

"I've been a fan all my life and my family have supported for the club for 100 years. It should have been marshalled better."

Joanne added: "We feel as if we've been dismissed. We were told by a steward in the aftermath that accidents happen.

"Finding out the police had arrested Mr Ryan should have been the point where they took this seriously, cleared by the jury or not.

"I don't think it is understood how dangerous this was. I wouldn't want this to happen to anyone else."