Police release footage after man fined for drone flight above football stadium caused game to be halted

A man has been fined more than £3,500 (€4,000) after flying a drone above a football match which caused the game to be halted. Footage includes Lewis Franks leaving scene of the crime in his car. Mr Franks wept in court as he admitted flying the drone above Chesterfield FC’s Technique Stadium in Derbyshire at 5.20pm on May 7 during the club’s game against Bromley in the National League play-off semi-final. Referee Scott Simpson took the players off the pitch for several minutes, in line with safety protocols, before the device was seen to land, Derbyshire Police previously said. More than 9,600 people attended the game, shown live on BT Sport, with the drone flying as low as 6.1 metres above the pitch, North East Derbyshire and Dales Magistrates’ Court in Chesterfield heard on Monday. Wearing a black suit and tie with a white shirt, Franks, 27, pleaded guilty to charges of flying a drone above assemblies of people, flying beyond visual line of sight, failing to register as a drone operator, and failing to display an operator ID on the drone used by a remote pilot. He also admitted to driving his partner’s silver Nissan Juke without insurance and failing to stop when police attempted to apprehend him in the Derbyshire town on the same day.