By Duncan Mackay

Usain Bolt 100m London 2012 final bottleNovember 21 - A man accused of throwing a bottle at the start of the men's Olympic 100m final at London 2012 will stand trial in January, a court has heard.


Ashley Gill-Webb, 34, was arrested after the incident at the Olympic Stadium on August 5, which led to Dutch world judo champion Edith Bosch intervening.

He pleaded not guilty to using threatening words or behaviour with intent to cause harassment, alarm or distress under Section 4A of the Public Order Act.

Gill-Webb, from South Milford, near Leeds, today appeared at Thames magistrates Court in London, where he also pleaded not guilty to an alternative charge of using threatening abusive or insulting words or behaviour or disorderly behaviour within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress, under Section 5 of the Public Order Act.

Gill-Webb will stand trial at Stratford Magistrates Court on January 3.

Ashley led away after throwing bottle at start of 100mAshley Gill-Webb is led away from the Olympic Stadium after allegedly throwing a bottle at the start of the men's 100m final at London 2012

District judge Jacqueline Comyns granted him conditional bail with condition of residency.

Usain Bolt, who won the race in 9.63 sec, said he had been unaware of the incident.

But Bosch described how she was standing close by when a green plastic beer bottle was thrown from the stands behind the start line.

The 32-year-old judoka tweeted: "A drunken spectator threw a bottle onto the track! I HAVE BEATEN HIM... unbelievable."

Explaining the message, she later described how she saw a man who was having "behaviour problems" and "pushed him away hard".

"I did like any other person would have done, I corrected it. I just said, 'man you're crazy, what are you doing?'," she said.

"We are here for Olympic heroes, people who are performing on the highest level, and we have to honour them, not disrespect them."

She added: "The one thing I'm most sad about is due to all the commotion, due to this guy, I missed out on the 100m."

United States sprinter Justin Gatlin, who took bronze, said: "It was a little distraction and I didn't know what it was.

"But when you're in those blocks and the whole stadium's quiet, you can hear a pin drop."

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