Burnley fan given football banning order
John Southwell, 64, for comments he made online
A man who posted a racist comment about a Premier League footballer online has been given a three-year football banning order.
John Southwell, 64, posted the offensive comment on Facebook at 12.18pm on 11th December 2023 under a news article about the Chelsea FC striker Nicolas Jackson.
The article related to a controversial incident the striker had been involved in during Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat to Everton the previous day.
After being identified, Southwell, who is a Burnley FC supporter, was charged with sending by a public communication network an offensive / indecent / obscene / menacing message / matter.
Southwell, of Dale Street, Earby, admitted the offence when he appeared at Blackburn Magistrates Court on Tuesday (8th October 2024). He was fined £385, ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £138 victim surcharge.
PC Byron Worrall, from our East Division, said: “This case is unusual in that a football banning order has been issued for an offence committed away from an actual fixture and on social media.
“I welcome the sentence and hope it sends out a strong message that racist behaviour of any kind will not be tolerated by Lancashire Police, whether it be in public or while hiding behind a keyboard.” Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.