Former England footballer Paul Gascoigne to pay £2000 after racist 'joke'
The former England soccer star has been fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £1,000 in compensation at Dudley Magistrates' Court today.
Former England footballer Paul Gascoigne has been fined £1000 for making a racist comment to a black security guard at a public event.
Dudley Magistrates' Court was told Gascoigne humiliated Errol Rowe, who had been assigned to protect him during his An Evening with Gazza show, by asking him: Can you smile please, because I can't see you?"
Ordering Gascoigne to pay Mr Rowe #1,000 in compensation, District Judge Graham Wilkinson told the retired star: You sought to get a laugh from an audience of over 1,000 people because of the colour of Mr Rowe's skin.''
The 49-year-old, whose career included spells at Newcastle United, Middlesbrough FC and Tottenham Hotspur, admitted using threatening or abusive words or behaviour''.