He has also been ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work
A fan has been banned from all football matches for five years and has been given a four-month suspended prison sentence after making racist gestures and slurs during Millwall’s away fixture at West Brom.
Kaine Lewis, 34, from Kent, was in the away end when officers on duty at The Hawthorns saw him making racist remarks during the Championship game in September.
Mr Lewis pleaded guilty at Dudley Magistrates Court after initially denying any wrongdoing. As well as his ban from all football matches, he will be required to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
After directing discriminatory slurs towards home fans, he was removed from the stadium and later arrested.
Included in the police investigation into the incident was CCTV footage that showed Mr Lewis making racist gestures, which supported accounts made by offices in attendance at the stadium on the day it occurred.
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PC Stuart Ward, West Midlands Police’s football hate crime officer, led the investigation and stated that Mr Lewis’ actions were ‘not only disgusting behaviour but distressing for others’.
He said: “This was not only disgusting behaviour but distressing for others who were at the stadium to see and hear.
“Lewis is old enough to know this is unacceptable and there’s no excuse for such appalling actions.
“We won’t tolerate racism, or any form of hate crime, within stadiums and we’ll continue to take action against offenders.”
In October, a football fan was jailed after live-streaming himself on Facebook racially abusing three England players after the Three Lions’ Euro 2020 final defeat.
Related links:
- England fan jailed over racist rant following Euro 2020 final defeat
- Football fan given “last chance” by judge after racially abusing Warrington Town goalkeeper
- Wilfried Zaha told by Instagram to report racists himself in order to see action
