Andy Carroll faces ‘potential prison sentence’ after being charged following arrest at airport

Andy Carroll faces a ‘potential prison sentence’ according to reports after being charged following his arrest at an airport.

The 36 year old breached a non-molestation order, an offence that carries a potential prison sentence of up to five years.

He was arrested by police at Stansted Airport in April 2025 upon returning from France, after the alleged breach occurred back in March.

Carroll, who has scored 6 goals for National League South side Dagenham & Redbridge this season, is scheduled to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on the 30th of December.

Separately, he was also issued with fine of £1,052 in November for filming an anti-immigration protest while driving.

🚨 Andy Carroll (former Liverpool and England striker) faces a possible jail sentence after being charged with breaching a non-molestation order.

· Carroll was arrested at Stansted Airport in April after arriving from France, and the alleged incident dates back to March. He is… pic.twitter.com/F8LacdsAIX

— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) December 28, 2025

While details of the alleged offence cannot be reported for legal reasons, police were able to confirm that he was the ‘unnamed former Premier League footballer’ who had been arrested at an airport in front of passengers after returning to Britain.

The Sun first reported that he was stopped at a passport control point as his details showed he was wanted by police.

A source said at the time of Carroll’s arrest said to The Sun:

“You can imagine it was a huge surprise for other passengers at the airport when they saw him being spoken to by police officers at passport control.

“He had already been recognised by lots of people on the plane journey so it wasn’t as if he was keeping a low profile.

“He played for England and in the Premier League so he was attracting plenty of attention.

“It seemed as if an issue was flagged up to the Border Force officers at passport ­control at Stansted, which led to police being called.

“He was questioned for a while and then taken away by the police.

“It caused quite a kerfuffle as there were lots of other passengers around in the arrivals area of Stansted where he was arrested.

“Stansted is a very busy airport and he had travelled from a popular European destination on a budget airline.”

An Essex Police spokesperson have since said: “A man has been charged with breaching a non-molestation order. Andrew Carroll, 36, of Epping, was arrested on April 27 and the alleged offence relates to an incident in March. He is due to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on December 30.”

In November, he was also fined for filming an anti-immigration protest on his phone as he was driving. Hundreds of people were outside the Bell Hotel in Epping after an asylum seeker, Hadush Kebatu, living there was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl. Kebatu ended up being jailed.

Carroll pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay £1,052.

What is a Non-molestation Order?

According to the NCDV website

One of the strongest ways you can protect yourself against domestic abuse is by taking out a non-molestation order against your abuser.

They are one type of an injunction, a term used to describe any court order served on someone forbidding specified behaviour, such as threatening you, or limiting their actions, like visiting your home.

A non-molestation order is typically issued to prohibit an abuser from using or threatening physical violence, intimidating, harassing, pestering or communicating with you. An order could prevent the abuser coming within a certain distance of you, your home address or even attending your place of work. It could also include your children in certain circumstances. An order will also prevent an abuser from instructing or encouraging others to do any of those actions.

A non-molestation order can protect you against behaviour that by itself may not be a criminal offence or in situations where the police have responded to a 999 call but then taken the view that there is insufficient evidence to charge your abuser with a criminal offence such as assault. If you have a non-molestation order in place, then the police can arrest your abuser for the offence of breaching that order.

To make an application for a non-molestation order, you and your abuser must have “association” under the Family Law Act 1996. This includes those who are or were: married, civil partners, living together or partners. It also includes relatives and in-laws along with those who have a child together.

When deciding if to grant an order, the court will consider all your circumstances, primarily the need to secure the health, safety and well-being of you and any children. Evidence of abusive text messages/emails along with photos of any injuries or damage to property will strengthen your case.

It is possible to make an emergency application for a non-molestation order if the incident has happened recently, as a guideline, within the past week unless there is a good reason for any delay. If an order is granted without notice, then there is a further hearing approximately 14 days later, to give your abuser the opportunity to tell the Court whether they oppose the order.

A non-molestation order is usually granted for six to 12 months, although in certain circumstances, it could be granted for a longer period. An order can also be extended.

A non-molestation order does not need a power of arrest as it is a specific criminal offence to breach it.

Enforcement

Should your abuser breach the order you can enforce it by either reporting him/her to the police to start criminal proceedings, or begin civil proceedings by applying (usually with a solicitor’s help) to the family court which made the order, for the respondent to be arrested and/or punished

The maximum sentence through criminal courts is five years’ imprisonment and a fine; via the family court it is imprisonment of up to two years, a suspended sentence or fines.