A STREAKER who ran across the Ewood Park pitch dressed as cupid has been dumped by the girlfriend he was trying to impress.

James Miller, a 20-year-old soldier, also told how the prank grew out of a dare he made on social networking website Facebook.

But the incident could have serious repercussions for Mr Miller, of Accrington.

He has been charged under the Football Disorder and Offences Act and is due to appear at Blackburn magistrates at the end of the month.

If convicted, he could be discharged from his job as a craftsman in the Light Dragoons regiment.

Mr Miller ran onto the pitch during Blackburn Rovers FA Cup clash against Coventry on Valentine’s Day.

He was dressed in shorts that left little to the imagination, and was armed with a bow, arrow and red roses.

Mr Miller said he was hoping his girlfriend of one year would be impressed by the prank.

But the next day he said Jade Thompson, 19, of Darwen, dumped him.

After some persuasion, Mr Miller, who said he was “not much of a football fan”, agreed to put details of the dare on Facebook.

He set up an online group called: ‘If 1,000 people join this group I’ll invade the Rovers pitch donning my mankini’.

It contained a pledge to invade the pitch at the next game after enough people had joined.

Mr Miller said: “Within about two days, 1,400 had joined and were telling me they had bought tickets especially to see me.

“I had to go through with it. If I hadn’t I would have been a laughing stock.

“I thought there might be some police interest but I didn’t think anyone else would care.

“I hadn’t thought I would do the dare so soon. I thought it would take longer to get to 1,000 and I wasn’t planning on doing it at an FA cup match.

"I sold my £140 stereo on the day. I’d only had it a month - but sold it for £25 because I had no money to buy roses.”

Mr Miller said he was doing the prank for his girlfriend, adding: “The next day she broke up with me for ignoring her, but I was with the police for hours afterwards.

“I didn’t know what to do when I got on the pitch, because nobody chased me like I expected.

“Then St. John Ambulance came after me and I was just firing roses everywhere, trying to dodge them.”

Mr Miller has been dubbed ‘Stupid Cupid’ by Coventry fans who blamed him for Rovers’ late equaliser to make the tie two-all.

Chris Samba scored the leveller during the five minutes of injury time added on because of Mr Miller’s pitch invasion.

Mr Miller said Coventry supporters had since been abusing him through Facebook.

He said: “They have said I should get my head chopped off and that I’m a dead man. I don’t care.

"In fact I was toying with the idea of turning up at one of their other matches.”

Ms Thompson, of Darwen, said the prank had nothing to do with her decision to end their relationship the next day.

The fashion and textiles student, who has changed her Facebook relationship status to “It’s complicated”, said: “It had nothing to do with that.

"He must think it’s funny.

“It was just general relationship stuff. I broke up with him for other reasons. I can’t believe him.”

Captain Thomas Robinson, the Light Dragoons' Regimental Adjutant, said: "Until a soldier is found guilty in a civilian court, it remains a civilian matter.

"However, anyone who falls short of the army's standards and is considered to have brought the army into disrepute will be dealt with within the army up to and including discharge.