Mumsnet Talk

Is it possible he could go to prison? (if found guilty)

What do you think about the case being brought? Absolutely right and he should have the book thrown at him after a fair trial, or over-reaction and waste of tax-payers money? Or something in-between?

Racism Of any kind is disgusting. Terry should be investigated and if found guilty face the punishment - if that means prison then so be it!

I agree Dublin, but is is really likely that any actual action will be taken? He's campaigned against racism and will no doubt have the very best laywers to show that he's not racist. If he is found guilty (of abuse without violence) what is the penalty (for him or anyone else) likely to be?

I don't know about the possible legal outcome, however I don't think he should be allowed to play for the England team until the case has gone to court. In any normal job you would be suspended, I can't understand why he hasn't been.

The FA have completely messed this one up. They should have suspended him immediately but from what I understand they can't now because it is a police matter and if they were to suspend him now they would be seen to be interfering with the criminal proceedings.

I also read that if he gets found guilty then the likely punishment is just a fine but what will hit him harder is the numerous sponsorship deals he has as they are likely to be cancelled.

By the way I don't think he is a racist, I am mixed race and I actually know black people that know him personally. He might be a lot of things but I don't think a racist is one of them.

Its magistrates court and a maximum fine of £2,500. He'll probably earn more than that during the time he's in court.

Non event.

Low browed footballer shouts abuse at another low browed footballer but, unsurprisingly, was so dim as to forget he was being filmed.

Cant stand the scumbag however, he is never going to get a fair trial imo. He is already being hung drawn and quatered.

Presumably, the fact that he did shout the racial abuse at the player is without doubt - given that they blur out his mouth whenever they show the clip?

if shout racial abuse as a spectator in a football ground you get banned for life...

I loathe john terry, he's utter scum, and racist now to boot. yuck.

It's a criminal offence and is doubly serious given that the FA has sworn to kick racism out of football.

Terry may have been stripped of the England captaincy but that's the slogan on the armband he and every other player will wear. Unfortunately he will now have to be asked questions about it.

It doesn't matter what you think of the height of his brow or that of his alleged victim. Do we expect justice only if the participants have passed an IQ test?

The court date was set after discussions between the court and Chelsea's lawyers who fretted about the possibility of having to give players time off to give evidence. Extraordinary. Does this happen in other cases?

So if Terry's upset about it he can take it up with his employers.

I think the FA didn't have any option under the circumstances. How can they complain about routine racist abuse from some home fans when England travel abroad when their captain is under suspicion of the same thing?

I don't know whether Terry's guilty or not. It depends on those around him at the time telling the court what they did or didn't hear and the context of any remarks. Maybe clearer film and audio will be presented in evidence too.

The film of his face at the moment of the alleged offence is obscured for legal reasons. No one should try to guess what he said and why he said it until it goes to trial.

DH's view (I'm only quoting dh because he is a football journalist who has met and interviewed all these people and so therefore knows quite a lot) is that John Terry isn't racist but he is just shockingly stupid and ignorant.

Agree with Pendeen......dont really care about any of them,

The lot of them seem like big overpaid kids with their brains in their dicks

I'm bemused that out of the description: 'Fucking black cunt' only the middle word is being viewed as an offence. I don't think it is as far as the CPS is concerned. They've charged him with a 'racially-aggravated public order offence'.

I look forward to John Terry's enlightenment in July.

bibbity I think your DH is probably right - I've not met Terry.

You do have to be stupid to work for an organisation that has signed up to kick racism out of football and use any kind of racial term that could be construed as abuse.

Any kind of racial abuse from anyone is unacceptable, their job is irrelevant, as is their level of intelligence.

What really offends me even more is the fact their clubs always say 'we are backing him all the way, or that they will support him, whatever the outcome'.
I find this sickening

I don't understand why you think he can't get a fair trial chipstick?

It's not a jury trial. It's a magistrates' court and they sometimes have district judges there. Both of them can be relied upon to be impartial. They will examine the evidence and if it doesn't show guilt or is unclear they will acquit him.

I think JT for example is a twat

I agree with mollymole. The man is vile IMVHO. How he can not be racist after what he said is beyond me. He should never, ever play for England again.

Because before his lawyers stepped in and told him to shut up Terry was saying that he said: 'I say, Anton, did you think I called you a fucking black cunt?' with the implication that he was merely correcting a terrible misunderstanding.

I'm not sure what innocent words might rhyme with 'fucking black cunt' but I look forward to Terry's explanation.

You can't convict someone of any offence before they've gone to court. So, until he's found guilty, he's not a racist.

he is innocent until proven guilty.

It is IMO telling that Anton Ferdinand did not make the complaint but that it was made by a member of the public. Anton Ferdinand has in fact not said anything about this.

I wrote a blog post recently about

whether he should play for England in the Euro's

but anything other than that I think should wait until after the trial.

I think that this is rather like the Pakistani cricket match fixing trial. Everyone knew it went on, there were various internal measures taken to try to stamp it out which failed badly, and the governing body weren't too displeased to see it go to a courtroom. Whatever the outcome for Terry it'll make other footballers mind their Ps and Qs in future if they think they could face prosecution & gaol rather than some limp ban and a fine..

So, until he's found guilty, he's not a racist.

Really? So the vile people in the EDL aren't racist because they haven't been to court and found guilty? The 16yo at DS2's school who called the teacher a P* isn't racist because he hasn't been to court? What a strange thing to say!

He should have been stripped of the captaincy straight away. No way should a multi millionaire football idol be allowed to continue is role until people are sure he's not racist. Football is more important than terry, it has the power to do good.

No, soda it's not strange.

He's been charged with a racially aggravated public order and needs to have a fair trial.

You can't say you think he's a racist on what you thought you saw him mouth on telly.

If you were to say or write that a member of the English Defence League or anyone else was a racist he could bring a civil charge of defamation and you'd have to prove that he was, perhaps by bringing evidence of a conviction for a racially-aggravated offence. He wouldn't have to prove that he wasn't.

racially-aggravated public order offence