A freelance photographer has been sentenced to a six-month community order with 40 hours’ unpaid work after admitting to a public order offence.

Dan Westwell, (32), was arrested while covering a football match for the Nottingham Evening Post in January.

He was charged under section five of the Public Order Act over an incident at Mansfield Town Football Club’s Field Mill ground.

At a previous hearing he had admitted he “gave the finger” to the directors’ box.

The photographer, who also covers away matches for the Mansfield Chad, had been pitchside during a match on January 20 when he was asked by stewards to leave the ground.

Tensions among the crowd had been running high, with loud chants against Mansfield Town FC owner Keith Haslam.