BELGRADE, Sept 19: A Red Star Belgrade fan who used a flare to attack a policeman during a Serbian first division match last December was sentenced to 10 years in jail on Friday, the Belgrade-based Beta news agency reported.

Uros Misic, 20, assaulted a plain-clothes police officer during Red Star’s home game with Hajduk Kula and was tried for attempted murder by the Belgrade District Court.

He inflicted multiple burns on Nebojsa Trajkovic and then tried to force it into his throat, after which the policeman fired gunshots into the air in self-defence.

“It was a barbaric, brutal and monstrous attack on a policeman on duty and the authorities have the right to defend themselves when attacked,” judge Velimir Lazovic said after the judicial council passed the verdict.

“The assault was also completely unprovoked and it had to be qualified as attempted murder because Trajkovic was fighting for his life out there,” he said.—Reuters