Soccer fan's life banishment for airplane impersonation

Thu Oct 4 11:42:55 PDT 2001

>"I wish he had run onto the park and done it in front of the players.
>He would then have been lifted and jailed then and that's what he
>deserves.

>"If they can punish the person, they should. It was pretty awful - how
>someone could stoop so low."

>"The guy is one sick puppy and needs to be taught a lesson."

>"[W]e don't want him or anybody with that kind of sick mind anywhere
>near the stadium. He has shamed the whole of Scottish football."

Looking around for someone to smite, Glasgow's Daily Record found a
soft target in one David Munro, who thought impersonating a plane in
front of an American player at a soccer match was a Good Thing.

Is the world going crazy?  Has the new offence of Griefcrime been
established, whereby those who do not temper their opinions to
respect mass 'hurt feelings' deserve exactly what's coming to them?

I'm guilty of Griefcrime too.  I haven't shed a single tear, because
I don't know anyone who has ever been to New York.

I've told the odd joke to close friends about the disasters.  I've
argued back at the TV when idiots talk about the need for unity, or
when a pundit pushes his bogus theory about the next target.
But am I free to question any of this in public, using my own name?
Or am I relegated to anonymous cowardice by a fear of the same 
character assassination at my trial by media?

As Scots say, these are interesting times.

--
"There are no thought crimes: only thought criminals."
Anon.

[ Begin forwarded message ]

Daily Record, Tuesday October 2, 2001

	SHAME ON YOU SON
	Celtic fan's Reyna taunt sickens his parents

EXCLUSIVE
By ALEX DOWDALLS and RON MOORE

THE moron who used the World Trade Centre tragedy to taunt Rangers'
Claudio Reyna is named and shamed today by the Daily Record. 

David "No Neck" Munro's stepdad said he should be jailed for mimicking
an aeroplane in front of the American star at Sunday's Old Firm game.
Mum Ann was close to tears as she branded the Celtic "fan" a disgrace.

Reyna said: "You wouldn't think something as sick as that would
come into someone's mind." 
And the Parkhead club banned Munro for life, telling him he had shamed
the whole of Scottish football. Munro jumped to his feet and stretched
his aims out like aeroplane wings as New Jersey-born Reyna

	Celtic bosses take action over warped 
	supporter who gloated at terror

prepared to take a corner at Ibrox. He was one of the tiny minority in
the Celtic section who made the sick gesture. More than 6000 people
died in the attacks on the World Trade Centre. The Record was flooded
with calls from fans after we appealed for help to name the yob.

Supporters described Munro as a drunken idiot who also caused trouble
on a bus going to Celtic's game with Juventus. Our trail led to
Munro's mortified mum and stepdad in Johnstone, Renfrewshire. The
jobless lout still lives with his parents at the age of 32.

Mother Ann McKeeman choked back tears as she said: "I couldn't believe
what he did. He was so full of the drink and didn't know what he was
doing. He's a disgrace. David hasn't come home since and is too
ashamed to face us. He's staying at a pal's house.
Stepfather Bill added: "I wish he had run onto the park and done it
in front of the players. He would then have been lifted and jailed
then and that's what he deserves. 
"He has let us and the club down."

Ann said Munro has a spinal disability and had been taunted by Rangers
fans before his gesture towards Reyna. But she admitted there was no
excuse for his actions.
Reyna confirmed he saw the gesture. He said: "It's disgusting to think
about it because of how horrible the tragedy was. "I did honestly
think about it afterwards and I was surprised. 
"I thought that if anything Tragedy would teach people to unite and
not to act like that
"I wouldn't care even if he'd had a lot to drink. You wouldn't think
something as sick as that would come into someone's mind.
"If they can punish the person, they should. It was pretty awful - how
someone could stoop so low."

Celtic spokeswoman Kate Cunningham confirmed: "This person will be
banned with immediate effect and his season ticket will be withdrawn.
"He has brought immeasurable shame on this club and all of our
supporters. "Our fans are gutted by what he has done and we don't want
him or anybody with that. kind of sick mind anywhere near the stadium.
He has shamed the whole of Scottish football." 

Decent Celtic fans shared the club's outrage. One supporter who knows
Munro said: "The guys were almost fighting among themselves to try to
restrain him. "He is an out-and-out trouble-maker. Imagine if your
relatives had perished in America and you witnessed this total clown
pretending to crash a plane. 
"Fans from both clubs are up in arms. The guy is one sick puppy and
needs to be taught a lesson." The supporter said Munro was so drunk on
a fans' bus to Turin that other supporters feared for their safety. He
was finally thrown off the coach and went "absolutely mental", kicking
at the vehicle in a rage.
Another fan said Munro stole a bottle of champagne as the bus
travelled through France but was let off with a warning by police.
Munro is a notorious character in Johnstone, often seen drunk in local
pubs. Former schoolmates, who gave him the "No Neck" nickname, said he
was 'spoiled rotten" as a child. One claimed: "No Neck was wasted by
his mum and dad. "He never wanted for anything and always wore the
best designer gear. He was always acting the clown, boasting and
shouting, a right wee show-off.
"Yet he has nothing to shout about. He was an absolute failure.
"He never learned a thing and left without any qualifications. "The
guy has still not grown up - he's just a 32-year-old idiot without the
sense God gave him."

Munro has been in hiding since his photo appeared in the Record.
His mother said he had contacted Celtic to apologise and planned to
say sorry to Reyna in a letter.