Former Scotland and Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths has been fined a total of £17,000 for kicking a smoking flare into a crowd at a football match.

The 33-year-old admitted a charge of culpable and reckless conduct following his behaviour at Dens Park during a match between Dundee and St Johnstone on 22 September 2021.

On Wednesday, Dundee Sheriff Court was told that Griffiths was on loan from Celtic at the time of the incident and was fined £15,000 by the Glasgow club. He was also fined £1,000 by Dundee.

The court has now imposed a further £1,000 fine and has given Griffiths seven days to pay it.

Griffiths had flown in from Australia, where he currently plays for Mandurah City, to attend the sentencing.

The court heard that about 4,500 people were in attendance at the match, with approximately 1,300 St Johnstone fans in the away stand.

Fiscal depute Lora Apostolova said a goal was scored at about 9.10pm and a smoke bomb was hurled onto the field, emitting blue smoke.

Mason Greenwood welcomed by Getafe fans as he trains with club for first time after leaving Manchester United

Is Saudi Arabia a genuine threat to the Premier League’s grip on football’s transfer market?

Mason Greenwood leaves Manchester United in loan move to Spanish club Getafe

“The accused ran towards the area the smoke bomb landed and then kicked the smoke bomb towards where St Johnstone fans were standing,” she said.

She said Griffiths ran 30 to 40 yards to kick the smoke bomb back into the stand and a fan was struck by it, damaging his jeans. No one was injured.

Read more from Sky News:
Is Saudi Arabia a genuine threat to the Premier League’s grip on football’s transfer market?

Defending Griffiths, lawyer Larry Flynn said the matter required to be discharged in order for the footballer to meet a condition for his Australian visa.

He said Griffiths decided to “take matters in his own hands” and kick the device out of the way to let play continue.

Mr Flynn said there was no malice behind Griffiths’ actions, and he read a statement the player made at the time apologising to fans for his conduct.

In sentencing, Sheriff George Way said a “financial penalty” was necessary and Griffiths would have been facing a £1,500 fine had it not been for his early guilty plea.

The sheriff added: “I am prepared to accept this was reckless. He is trying to make a life for himself in Australia.”

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

Griffiths started his football career at Livingston in 2006, before moving to Dundee in 2009 and then Hibernian in 2013.

He was called up for Scotland in 2012 and moved to Celtic in 2014, where he played until 2020.

He was loaned to Dundee in 2021, before playing for Falkirk in 2022.

Related posts:

Britons urged not to ‘blow’ COVID progress as UK could see hottest March day on record Queen carries out first in-person public engagement of the year at Air Forces memorial Delta infections produce similar virus levels regardless of vaccination, analysis suggests Booster jabs may not be needed for everyone and widespread rollout could put pressure on NHS, says AZ boss Man with crossbow arrested over Windsor Castle grounds break-in detained under Mental Health Act Autistic boy, 8, inspires relaunch of Joe Danger – the game that helped him ‘experience normal kid stuff’ Widower asks High Court to let him have a baby using dead wife’s eggs, his sperm and surrogate mother Prince George and Princess Charlotte will attend Queen’s state funeral Police investigating Elle Edwards murder receive ‘important information’ about ‘wider tensions’ Flat owners win privacy case over Tate Modern viewing platform PM was told of Raab’s ‘unacceptable behaviour’ before appointing him to cabinet, source says Experts discover one of world’s most important fossil deposits