Daniel Blair (Image: South Wales Police)
Last Updated: 8 March 2026
A Birmingham City supporter has been sentenced to more than two years in prison after he grabbed a 16-year-old boy around the neck and lifted him off the ground during a Championship fixture at the Swansea.com Stadium.
Daniel Joseph Blair, 37, of Wharrad Close, Redditch, West Midlands, appeared at Swansea Crown Court for sentencing having previously admitted charges of intentional strangulation, possession of cocaine, and criminal damage.
The attack
The court heard the incident took place on January 17 this year when Blair travelled from the West Midlands to watch Birmingham City take on Swansea City in a match that kicked off at 5.30pm. Prosecutor David Singh said Blair was noted to be heavily intoxicated before the game even began.
Blair first slapped his teenage victim to the back of the head before seizing him around the neck and throat in a chokehold from behind. The boy’s family and nearby supporters frantically tried to free the youngster from his grip, but Blair maintained the hold and lifted the child off his feet.
Mr Singh told the court the prosecution considered Blair’s actions a dangerous act which could have had serious “if not fatal consequences” for the victim.
Arrest and police station behaviour
Following his arrest, Blair was found carrying three snap-seal bags of cocaine. After being taken to Swansea Central police station, he offered to supply the officer dealing with him 20 bags of cocaine before urinating in his cell. In his subsequent interview, Blair exercised his right not to answer any questions.
Impact on the victim
An impact statement read to the court revealed the lasting harm caused by the assault. The boy said the incident had left him feeling nervous and always looking over his shoulder when he goes out. He said it had affected his appetite, sleep patterns, and education, and that he now feels anxious when attending football matches. He added that he sometimes experiences “choking feelings” even when nobody is touching his neck.
Previous offending
Blair has 10 previous convictions for 16 offences including assault occasioning actual bodily harm, Class A drug supply, public disorder, and three counts of assault by beating – one of which involved spitting at a former partner.
Defence arguments
Caitlin Brazel, representing Blair, told the court her client was “deeply ashamed and no doubt embarrassed” at his actions and had specifically asked her to apologise to the victim and his family. She said the incident had not been motivated by malice but by Blair being “far too boisterous in drink,” adding that all his previous convictions had been linked to alcohol. Ms Brazel said Blair has a three-year-old daughter who is his “pride and joy” and a job he is passionate about.
Sentencing ⚖️
Recorder Simon Stephenson told Blair he had carried out an “unprovoked attack on a child” at a football match in front of the boy’s family – an offence aggravated by his heavy intoxication. He said the assault had had a “severe psychological impact” on the young victim.
With a one-third discount for his guilty pleas, Blair was sentenced to two years and four weeks in prison – comprising two years for the strangulation and four weeks consecutive for the criminal damage. No separate penalty was imposed for the cocaine possession.
The recorder noted that even had the sentence fallen within the range capable of suspension – two years or less – the seriousness of the offending meant only immediate custody was appropriate.
Blair was also made subject to a three-year football banning order prohibiting him from attending any regulated match and from going within three miles of Birmingham’s St Andrew’s stadium on home matchdays.
