England fan jailed for 10 weeks for racist abuse following Euro 2020 final
An England fan who racially abused Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka on Facebook following the Euro 2020 final has been jailed for ten weeks.
Forklift truck driver Jonathon Best, of Feltham, recorded an 18-second Facebook Live video in which he abused the trio of England stars after missing crucial penalties in the shootout loss to Italy.
Best had argued that he had drunk 12 beers and five double Bacardis by the time he recorded the video that night, but District Judge Denis Brennan dismissed these excuses and said the 52-year-old had “cursed them because of the colour of their skin,” Willesden magistrates court head.
As reported by the Evening Standard, the offender had even plead to be sent to rehab or banned from the pubs as his punishment, but the judge insisted only a jail sentence would be acceptable.
“The words you used were antediluvian, vile, and offensive – they strike at the very nature of our civilised society and are corrosive,” the judge said.
“Although you aren’t responsible for the vile abuse against another footballer – Louis Saha – this very weekend, it’s indicative of the way the words you used affect other people.
“It encourages those who want to express similar views.”
The judge added that while he considered a suspended sentence, an immediate jail term was necessary in order to act as a deterrent to potential offenders.
“They should know the courts in this country will send such people to prison,” he added. “I hope, with this deterrence, that people are educated to behave more appropriately.”
The court head that Best was initially asked by his manager to remove the offending clip, but was defiant and maintained it should remain up.
While he argued that the clip was deleted the morning after the final, the judge disagreed, stating: “I don’t accept your version of events – it stayed there for three days and you were incredibly offensive when asked to take it down.”
Best eventually pleaded guilty to sending by public communication network a grossly offensive or indecent or obscene or menacing message or matter, and he will now serve five weeks in prison and the remaining five weeks of his sentence on licence.