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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Pair guilty of Sol Campbell abuse | Pair guilty of Sol Campbell abuse |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| A man and a boy have been found guilty of shouting "shocking and disgusting" homophobic chants at Portsmouth footballer Sol Campbell. | A man and a boy have been found guilty of shouting "shocking and disgusting" homophobic chants at Portsmouth footballer Sol Campbell. |
| Ian Trow, 42, of Deanshanger, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, and the boy, 14, denied indecent chanting but were convicted by Portsmouth magistrates. | Ian Trow, 42, of Deanshanger, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, and the boy, 14, denied indecent chanting but were convicted by Portsmouth magistrates. |
| The charges related to abuse aimed at Mr Campbell during a match against his ex-club Tottenham Hotspur last year. | |
| In a statement, Mr Campbell said he felt "totally victimised and helpless". | |
| 'Bad taste' | 'Bad taste' |
| The court statement from the 34-year-old former England defender also 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. | "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." | "It has had an effect on me personally and I do not want it to continue. I support the police in their action." |
| After a three-hour trial, Georgette Holbrook, chairwoman of the panel, ruled the two defendants had chanted homophobic abuse during the game at Fratton Park on 28 September. | |
| Four men pleaded guilty at a previous hearing | Four men pleaded guilty at a previous hearing |
| She said: "We find that the words used were in extremely bad taste; they were inappropriate, shocking and disgusting, and as such they were indecent." | |
| The magistrates were shown a DVD of footage recorded by police showing Tottenham fans at the match. | |
| Angie Cunningham, defending, said the video footage was examined by a professional lip reader who said the youth, who was 13 at the time, could be seen pointing and shouting homophobic abuse. | |
| She added that Trow could only be seen mouthing some of the words, but Portsmouth magistrates ruled he had said the same words as the boy. | |
| Ms Cunningham added: "They passionately and whole-heartedly believed their behaviour and language didn't overstep the mark of what is acceptable behaviour and language at a football match." | |
| The pair will be sentenced later. | |
| Legal first | |
| Following the match, Hampshire Police released images of 16 people wanted in connection with the chants. | Following the match, Hampshire Police released images of 16 people wanted in connection with the chants. |
| A total of 11 were arrested and four men pleaded guilty to the offence in January and were sentenced to a three-year football banning order and a fine. | A total of 11 were arrested and four men pleaded guilty to the offence in January and were sentenced to a three-year football banning order and a fine. |
| Three men have been given police cautions while two 15-year-old boys were given final warnings, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). | Three men have been given police cautions while two 15-year-old boys were given final warnings, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). |
| While cases of racist chanting have been prosecuted before, this was the first case of indecent chanting to be brought to the courts, the CPS said. | While cases of racist chanting have been prosecuted before, this was the first case of indecent chanting to be brought to the courts, the CPS said. |