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| Middlesbrough fan 'made monkey gestures' towards footballers | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A Middlesbrough fan "made monkey gestures" towards three black footballers after one of them scored a goal, a court has heard. | |
| Ernest Goult denies a racially aggravated public order offence at the Riverside Stadium at the end of a Blackburn Rovers game in November. | |
| The 72-year-old, of Redcar, is on trial at Teesside Magistrates' Court. | |
| He said his "under-arm" gesture was not racist, but an established local expression meaning "the pits". | |
| Blackburn player Lee Williamson told the court the incident happened after Rovers scored a 94th-minute equaliser. | Blackburn player Lee Williamson told the court the incident happened after Rovers scored a 94th-minute equaliser. |
| Paul Power, prosecuting, said the "under-arm" gestures were directed at Williamson, Rudy Gestede and Markus Olsson. | Paul Power, prosecuting, said the "under-arm" gestures were directed at Williamson, Rudy Gestede and Markus Olsson. |
| Williamson, who was the Rovers captain on that evening, spoke about the incident after the final whistle and said: "On the way to our fans I see a Middlesbrough fan making monkey gestures towards me." | |
| He then demonstrated a one-armed gesture under his arm pit and said the man did it four or five times. | He then demonstrated a one-armed gesture under his arm pit and said the man did it four or five times. |
| "I felt upset," Williamson said. | "I felt upset," Williamson said. |
| Asked what he felt the gesture meant, he said: "Implying that I'm a monkey." | Asked what he felt the gesture meant, he said: "Implying that I'm a monkey." |
| The player confirmed he took it to be a racist gesture. | The player confirmed he took it to be a racist gesture. |
| Gestede said he saw the man making the gesture about 10 times. He added he was then told to calm down by a colleague after becoming angry. | Gestede said he saw the man making the gesture about 10 times. He added he was then told to calm down by a colleague after becoming angry. |
| Amy Dixon, defending, asked the player whether the gesture could mean "you're the pits, you're rubbish". | Amy Dixon, defending, asked the player whether the gesture could mean "you're the pits, you're rubbish". |
| Gestede replied: "No". | Gestede replied: "No". |
| The player agreed with Mr Power that he was the "pantomime villain" after his injury time goal deprived Middlesbrough of two points. | The player agreed with Mr Power that he was the "pantomime villain" after his injury time goal deprived Middlesbrough of two points. |
| Mr Goult contacted Cleveland Police after the force released a picture of a man they wanted to talk to. | Mr Goult contacted Cleveland Police after the force released a picture of a man they wanted to talk to. |
| PC Christopher Hilton said he would perceive Mr Goult's actions "to be a racist gesture towards the players". | |
| "When I googled it, nothing came back in relation to a Teesside gesture - the pits," he said. | |
| Mr Goult, a retired steelworker, demonstrated what he did by tapping his armpit twice as he gave evidence. | |
| He said: "Mr Gestede and I, our eyes met, I raised my left hand and went one-two, one-two." | |
| It was an "old Teesside gesture", which meant "you're under the arm of the pit." | |
| When asked whether he intended to express racial hatred, he said: "Not at all. | |
| "The fact the three chaps happened to be black, it didn't register. The whole lot could have come over." |