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| Four banned from football matches after admitting abusive chants against Sol Campbell | |
| (5 months later) | |
| Owen Bowcott | |
| Tue 20 Jan 2009 12.37 GMT | |
| First published on Tue 20 Jan 2009 12.37 GMT | |
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| Four men were banned from attending football matches for three years today after pleading guilty to shouting indecent chants at the Portsmouth footballer Sol Campbell during a premiership match against Tottenham Hotspur. | Four men were banned from attending football matches for three years today after pleading guilty to shouting indecent chants at the Portsmouth footballer Sol Campbell during a premiership match against Tottenham Hotspur. |
| Eleven men, including three juveniles aged under 15, appeared at Portsmouth magistrates court to face charges of racist and homophobic chanting. | Eleven men, including three juveniles aged under 15, appeared at Portsmouth magistrates court to face charges of racist and homophobic chanting. |
| The charges relate to abuse aimed at Campbell during a game against Spurs played at Portsmouth's Fratton Park ground on 28 September last year. | The charges relate to abuse aimed at Campbell during a game against Spurs played at Portsmouth's Fratton Park ground on 28 September last year. |
| Richard Gibbs, 36, of Wokingham, Stuart Turner, 34, of Wellington, , Keith Stevens, 54, of Hailsham, East Sussex, and 28-year-old Oliver Sylvester, of Southampton, all admitted indecent chanting. | Richard Gibbs, 36, of Wokingham, Stuart Turner, 34, of Wellington, , Keith Stevens, 54, of Hailsham, East Sussex, and 28-year-old Oliver Sylvester, of Southampton, all admitted indecent chanting. |
| The offensive chants directed against the former Tottenham player were read out in court, and included the lines: "We won't give a fuck if you are hanging from a tree, You are a Judas cunt with HIV." Other chants included the repetition of the words "gay boy". | The offensive chants directed against the former Tottenham player were read out in court, and included the lines: "We won't give a fuck if you are hanging from a tree, You are a Judas cunt with HIV." Other chants included the repetition of the words "gay boy". |
| The court was told that not all of the defendants sang all the chants, but variations of them. | The court was told that not all of the defendants sang all the chants, but variations of them. |
| The four defendants who pleaded guilty were sentenced to a three-year football banning order, fined £370, ordered to pay £120 in costs and £15 towards a victim surcharge fund. | The four defendants who pleaded guilty were sentenced to a three-year football banning order, fined £370, ordered to pay £120 in costs and £15 towards a victim surcharge fund. |
| Magistrate Susan Waddle said: "There were families present, very young children. We also heard from witnesses who found the behaviour disgusting and embarrassing. | Magistrate Susan Waddle said: "There were families present, very young children. We also heard from witnesses who found the behaviour disgusting and embarrassing. |
| "No doubt you are upright members of society, but in there you acted like animals, like a herd. "This was well-rehearsed – everyone was in sync, everyone knew the words – it was not something that just happened on the day. | "No doubt you are upright members of society, but in there you acted like animals, like a herd. "This was well-rehearsed – everyone was in sync, everyone knew the words – it was not something that just happened on the day. |
| "Whether or not Mr Campbell was offended, decent members of the public found this very offensive and so did the bench. | "Whether or not Mr Campbell was offended, decent members of the public found this very offensive and so did the bench. |
| "Anyone who indulges in this disgusting behaviour will be dealt with very severely by the courts." | "Anyone who indulges in this disgusting behaviour will be dealt with very severely by the courts." |
| The trial date for the seven other defendants who have pleaded not guilty to the same offences was set for 13 May. | The trial date for the seven other defendants who have pleaded not guilty to the same offences was set for 13 May. |
| Sol Campbell | |
| Crime | |
| Tottenham Hotspur | |
| Portsmouth | |
| Premier League | |
| news | |
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