York man jailed for racist behaviour during Leeds United match

The incident happened during a game last year.

Author: Tom FeahenyPublished 13th Apr 2023

A man from York has been jailed for racist behaviour at Elland Road.

It happened in October last year during Leeds United's match with Aston Villa.

David Ellis who's 39 and of Pottery Lane will spend 16 weeks behind bars - after pleading guilty to a racially aggravated public order offence in relation to gestures he made.

Detective Sergeant Rob Kennerley of Leeds District Police said:

“We welcome the sentencing of Ellis for his abhorrent behaviour and hope it sends a strong message that racism will not be tolerated at football matches or in any other walks of life.

“We will always take reports of hate crime seriously and do everything we can to support victims and take positive action against offenders.

“As we have seen with this incident, other fans will rightly take exception to this type of behaviour and are prepared to challenge it as completely unacceptable.

“We continue to work closely in partnership with Leeds United and encourage anyone who encounters racist abuse or other hate crime to report it to us so we can take action and make sure those responsible face the consequences.”

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.