Boy, 14, found guilty of chanting homophobic abuse at footballer Sol Campbell
A 14-year-old boy and a 42-year-old man were today found guilty of shouting “disgusting” homophobic abuse at footballer Sol Campbell at a match in September last year.
Ian Trow of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, and the 14-year-old, who cannot be named, had denied indecent chanting at the Portsmouth v Tottenham Hotspur game.
Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court heard the pair had shouted: “Come on gay boy, that’s my gay boy”.
Georgette Holbrook, chairwoman of the panel. said: “We find that the words used were in extremely bad taste, they were inappropriate, shocking and disgusting, and as such they were indecent.”
Prosecutor Sophie Stevens said: “The police and members of the public considered there was significant abuse from the travelling Tottenham supporters, abuse above what is perhaps wrongly accepted at a football match.”
Video footage played in court also showed up to 2,500 fans shouting chants such as: “Sol, Sol, wherever you may be, Not long now until lunacy, We won’t give a f*** if you are hanging from a tree, You are a Judas c*** with HIV”, “Campbell you are a c**** ” and “Sol’s a wanker.”
In a statement read out in court, Campbell said he felt “victimised” and “disgusted” by the chanting.
He said: “I felt absolutely disgusted at this and I didn’t react because of my profile and I feared I might make the situation worse and cause problems.
“I felt totally victimised and helpless by the abuse I received on this day.
“It has had an effect on me personally and I do not want it to continue. I support the police in their action.”
Trow was fined £500 and ordered to pay £400 costs and £15 to a victim surcharge fund.
The 14-year-old boy was given a conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered to pay £400 costs.
Both were banned from attending football matches for three years.
Four other men were fined and banned from attending matches for three years in January in connection to chanting at the match.
