13-year-old boy among eleven charged with homophobic abuse at football match
The Nike match ball infront of rainbow flags during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Newcastle United at Vitality Stadium on February 24, 2018. (Catherine Ivill/Getty)
A thirteen-year-old boy and two fifteen-year-olds have been charged with indecent chanting at a football match.
Police in Portsmouth, Hampshire have charged 11 people following an operation following a Portsmouth v Tottenham match at Fratton Park on September 28th.
Portsmouth’s Sol Campbell, a former England defender, was subject to racist and homophobic taunts from the crowd during the Premiership game.
A 15-year-old from Wynchmore Hill, London, a 15-year-old from Purley, Surrey and 13-year-old from Deans Hanger, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, will face charges.
They cannot be named for legal reasons.
The other accused are:
Dean Nelson, (23) of Southbury Road, Enfield, North London.
Bradley Barnes, (35), of Malmesbury Park Road, Bournemouth.
Oliver Silvester, (28) of High Street, Southampton.
Stuart Turner, (34) of Queen Street, Wellington, Telford, Shropshire.
Richard Allen Gibbs, (35) of Ormonde Road, Wokingham, Berkshire.
Ian Trow, (48) of Kingshill Drive, Deans Hanger, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.
Keith Stevens, (54) of Portland Close, Hailsham, East Sussex.
Joe Turner, (18) of The Lindons, Langdon Hills, Basildon, Essex.
They will appear before South East Hants Magistrates Court on Tuesday, January 20th.
Indecent or racist chanting is an offence under the Football Offences Act 1991 and carries a fine of up to £1,000 and a football banning order.
“They were charged with indecent chanting at a football match using words which were essentially swearwords,” a police spokesperson said.
“They weren’t appropriate to be used at all, especially where there were children and we received a number of complaints.”
Last month Hampshire police published pictures of 16 people wanted in connected with the incident at Fratton Park.
Five men are still being sought.
