Football fan Jamie Arnold found guilty of racially abusing Rio Ferdinand during Manchester United match
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Updated 01/11/2023 at 17:26 GMT
Jamie Arnold, 33, has been found guilty of a racially aggravated public order offence after making racist gestures towards Rio Ferdinand. The incident happened when Ferdinand was working as a pundit for BT Sport, now TNT Sports during the match between Wolves and Manchester United at Molineux in May 2021.
Rio Ferdinand
Image credit: Getty Images
A football fan has been found guilty of racially abusing Rio Ferdinand.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Jamie Arnold, 33, made “derogatory remarks and hand gestures” at Ferdinand while he was working as a pundit for BT Sport, now TNT Sports, during the match between Wolves and Manchester United in May 2021.
Arnold denied a racially aggravated public order offence but was found unanimously guilty at Wolverhampton Crown Court following a two-day trial.
He will be sentenced on December 8.
"I’ve been involved in a Court case in Wolverhampton since May 2021," said Ferdinand in response to the news. "Today the guy who racially abused me has been found guilty & will now have to face consequences for his actions.
"Racism will only be eradicated when we all work together as a society!
"The prosecution wouldn’t have been possible without all the help/support from the witnesses, Wolverhampton fans & staff that came forward to testify in court.
"Special thank you to Police Constable Stuart Ward (Football Hate Crime Officer), my Family and my team at New Era!"
Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS West Midlands, Alistair Redford, said: "Arnold made despicable racist gestures towards a victim who was just trying to do his job.
"I would like to thank the stewards whose quick-thinking actions ensured they could identify and remove Arnold from the stadium that day, and for Mr Ferdinand and witnesses who came forward to help us build as strong a case as possible."
Arnold was caught making the gestures on CCTV while several witnesses also provided evidence.
A Kick It Out spokesperson said: "Kick It Out welcomes the guilty verdict handed to Arnold today.
“It is imperative that perpetrators of discriminatory abuse are held to account for their actions and we hope this result sends a strong statement that racism has no place in our, or in society.
"We commend the CPS and West Midlands Police for their work securing justice in this case and would urge authorities across the country to take similar incidents of discriminatory abuse just as seriously.
"We continue to work with partners across football to tackle discriminatory abuse as it happens and to ensure that victims receive the support they need. We would encourage anyone who witnesses discrimination of any sort in future to report it directly to us at Kick It Out."
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