A drone enthusiast whose £3,500 device halted a match as it buzzed over the John Smith’s Stadium has escaped punishment.

Conrad Williams bought the drone when he spotted a business opportunity examining roofs of houses.

But the Bradley man found himself in hot water when police tracked the drone to him after it forced Huddersfield Town’s friendly clash with Liverpool to be stopped over safety concerns.

The 38-year-old was prosecuted for flying a small unmanned surveillance aircraft not in accordance with permission issued by the Civil Aviation Authority.

Conrad Williams, whose drone flew over the John Smith's Stadium during a match between Huddersfield and Liverpool, arriving at Huddersfield Magistrates Court.

He told the Examiner following his hearing at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court that he was shocked when he discovered that he had committed a criminal offence.

“I really had no idea that I was breaking the law,” he said. “I wasn’t doing it maliciously but I completely understand the implications.

“I don’t understand how it could be seen as terrorism but if it fell out of the sky and an expensive footballer or someone else was hit I would have been devastated.”

The law regarding the flying of drones bans unlicensed persons from flying unmanned surveillance aircraft over or within 150 metres of an organised open air assembly of more than 1,000 persons, over or within 150 metres of a congested area or within 50 metres of a vessel, vehicle or structure not under their control.

Midway through the second half of Town’s 2-0 defeat at the Huddersfield stadium on July 20 Williams’ drone hovered over the crowd of 21,226 supporters.

The drone flies above the John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield, during Huddersfield Town v Liverpool on 20/07/2016

Mark Brookes, prosecuting, said the drone was witnessed hovering four to five metres above the roof trusses of the stadium before flying off.

The referee stopped the match on safety grounds due to the unknown nature of the device and police were alerted.

Tv footage produced by the club showed that the drone had a camera attached to it.

Mr Brookes told the court that officers followed it to a house on nearby Town Avenue, climbed over a fence and found Williams assembling it.

He said he’d lost control of the drone but regularly flew it in the area and it was seized.

Mike Sisson-Pell, mitigating, said that his client worked for the building trade and had decided to use some of his cash to invest in his interest in drones.

He told magistrates: “He realised that there was a potential business opportunity as his friend in the trade said that if he had a decent drone with a decent camera he would be able to use it to look at roofs of customers, show where the problem was and transmit that information.

“This drone was purchased to try it out and see how it works.

Kirklees Magistrates Court, Huddersfield.

“He was at a friend’s house very close to the stadium and using the drone when his friend at the match rang and said if he flew the drone over he would would take a photograph of it.

“What followed from that caused him shock. He was arrested and didn’t know that what he was doing was criminal.

“He was then kept in custody for 11 hours because police didn’t know what to charge him with.

“He didn’t intend to break the law – he didn’t know he was breaking the law.”

Mr Sisson-Pell told magistrates that Williams, of Station Road, has since paid £600 for a licence from the Civil Aviation Authority in order to fly the drone legally.

As well as for business, he plans to use is to film his hobby of motocross racing.

Magistrates told Williams that he must appreciate the severity of the offence, particularly because of security issues at the moment.

However they accepted that he had no intention to cause any harm and wasn’t aware of the law.

They gave Williams a 12-month conditional discharge.

He still has to pay £85 costs and £20 victim surcharge.

Williams told the Examiner that he was disappointed to have to come to court as he felt that the matter could have been dealt with at the roadside.

He said: “What annoys me is the amount of time wasted and I didn’t even know why I was being arrested.

“The drone is capable of doing seven miles and I could have just flown it home.

“I now know that if I had a licence I wouldn’t have broken the law.

“I would definitely tell people to buy one as it’s the best l fun they’ll ever have – but stay away from stadiums!”