Man who racially abused footballer Rio Ferdinand in Hertfordshire sentenced
Robert Whippe, 64, denied any racist intent after posting on social media
A man who racially abused former England footballer Rio Ferdinand has been handed a suspended sentence.
Robert Whippe, 64, pleaded guilty last month to posting racially aggravated tweets on social media following the final of the Euro 2020 Championships in July 2021.
Whippe was found to have written two tweets containing monkey and banana emojis at Mr Ferdinand, who had been commentating during the tournament which saw England lose to Italy on penalties.
A judge at St. Albans Magistrates' Court heard how Mr Ferdinand believed the tweets to be "grossly offensive" and that having to explain the tweets to his children was "deeply upsetting".
Using social media tracing technology, officers from Hertfordshire Police were able to find Whippe's tweets and the man was brought in for questioning.
When asked by officers why he posted the tweets on social media, Whippe denied any racial intent, claiming that the tweets were a 'joke' and did not realise the connotations of using such emojis.
Ruling on Tuesday (March 1st), Deputy Senior District Judge Tan Ikram handed Whippe a 12-week suspended sentence, branding his defence as "nonsense".
Speaking at the sentencing, Judge Ikram said: "Everyone is entitled to disagree and respectfully disagree with the views of those who are put in those positions. But what you did was not only disagreed but you used racist language, racist language through those symbols and emojis.
"In interview you said it was a joke, you didn't realise it was racist - nonsense. Of course you realised it was racist. Those two symbols are often used by those who want to express racist views towards black people and that's what you did."
In addition to the suspended sentence, Whippe was ordered to pay £333 in damages and compensation to Mr Ferdinand, as well as undertaking 20 days rehabilitation and 160 hours of unpaid work.
Speaking during the trial, senior crown prosecutor for CPS Thames and Chiltern Matthew Gauntlett said that Whippe's comments were only the tip of the iceberg of racism in football.
"Whippe committed a racist attack on Rio Ferdinand as he was giving his expert opinion and commentary on the Euro 2020 final," he said.
"It was completely unwarranted and part of a disease in football that the CPS is playing its part to eradicate.
"I would like to thank Rio Ferdinand for his co-operation and support for this prosecution in what must have been a distressing time for him."