A football fan who sent racist abuse to former England defender Rio Ferdinand has been handed a 12-week suspended sentence. Robert Whippe, 64, admitted to directing two racist tweets at Mr Ferdinand following the Euro 2020 final.
The judge was told that Mr Ferdinand found the tweets, which featured a monkey and banana emoji, "grossly offensive" and having to explain them to his children "deeply upsetting". READ MORE: The court hear how the tweets were sent on the morning of July 8, following England's match against Denmark, and on July 11, after England lost to Italy in a penalty shootout.
Police were able to trace Whippe's tweets by using automatic software designed to scrub through social media for possible abuse, the judge was told.
When interviewed by Hertfordshire Police, Whippe admitted posting the tweets but initially denied any racist intent - he claimed they were only "a joke" and was not aware of their racist connotations, the court heard.
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