Post by QPR Report on Sept 17, 2009 7:06:39 GMT
Guardian/Jeremy Campbell
Pair found guilty of Sol Campbell homophobic abuse have convictions overturned• We can't be sure the words came from Mr Trow, says judge
• 43-year-old intends to launch a civil action against police
A 14-year-old boy and a 43-year-old man have had their convictions for shouting homophobic abuse at former Portsmouth and England defender Sol Campbell overturned.
Ian Trow of Milton Keynes and the 14-year-old, who cannot be named, were found guilty of shouting abuse at the player during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth at Fratton Park on 28 September last year.
Trow was fined £500 and banned from attending football matches for three years. The teenage boy was also banned from football matches for three years, and fined £400 costs with an additional £15 to go to a victim surcharge fund. But the convictions have been overturned after the pair launched a successful appeal, which was heard on Monday at Portsmouth Crown Court.
The appeal judge said it was not possible to determine whether Trow or the teenager were personally responsible for shouting abusive words, according to the Milton Keynes Citizen.
Judge Richard Price said: "We can hear the crowd, we can hear the words 'gay boy'. We can't be sure those words came from Mr Trow's mouth. We can't be sure those words came from the boy's mouth."
He overturned the convictions and quashed both sentences.
The pair were the only two of 11 defendants to plead not guilty to the charges. After the match, Hampshire police released photographs of 16 men they wanted to question in connection with the abuse, and a total of 11 were subsequently arrested. Four men pleaded guilty to the offence in January and were sentenced to a three-year football banning order and a fine. Three men and two 15-year-old boys were given police cautions.
Trow said he and the teenager were also given the option of accepting a police caution, but had turned it down in order to prove their innocence. Trow said he now intends to pursue a civil action against the police.
www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/sep/16/homophobic-conviction-overturned-tottenham-portsmouth
Pair found guilty of Sol Campbell homophobic abuse have convictions overturned• We can't be sure the words came from Mr Trow, says judge
• 43-year-old intends to launch a civil action against police
A 14-year-old boy and a 43-year-old man have had their convictions for shouting homophobic abuse at former Portsmouth and England defender Sol Campbell overturned.
Ian Trow of Milton Keynes and the 14-year-old, who cannot be named, were found guilty of shouting abuse at the player during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth at Fratton Park on 28 September last year.
Trow was fined £500 and banned from attending football matches for three years. The teenage boy was also banned from football matches for three years, and fined £400 costs with an additional £15 to go to a victim surcharge fund. But the convictions have been overturned after the pair launched a successful appeal, which was heard on Monday at Portsmouth Crown Court.
The appeal judge said it was not possible to determine whether Trow or the teenager were personally responsible for shouting abusive words, according to the Milton Keynes Citizen.
Judge Richard Price said: "We can hear the crowd, we can hear the words 'gay boy'. We can't be sure those words came from Mr Trow's mouth. We can't be sure those words came from the boy's mouth."
He overturned the convictions and quashed both sentences.
The pair were the only two of 11 defendants to plead not guilty to the charges. After the match, Hampshire police released photographs of 16 men they wanted to question in connection with the abuse, and a total of 11 were subsequently arrested. Four men pleaded guilty to the offence in January and were sentenced to a three-year football banning order and a fine. Three men and two 15-year-old boys were given police cautions.
Trow said he and the teenager were also given the option of accepting a police caution, but had turned it down in order to prove their innocence. Trow said he now intends to pursue a civil action against the police.
www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/sep/16/homophobic-conviction-overturned-tottenham-portsmouth