Football fan who blamed autocorrect for racist abuse about player jailed

A West Bromwich Albion fan has been jailed for eight weeks for racially abusing the club's midfielder, Romaine Sawyers, on social media.

Simon Silwood was sentenced at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

Silwood, 50, from Kingswinford, West Midlands, was also ordered to pay £500 in compensation to the player, who has since joined Stoke City on loan, and £500 in prosecution costs.

Passing sentence, District Judge Briony Clarke said: "This is, Mr Silwood, a serious offence. There is no place for racism or racist abuse online.

"This clearly, in my view, crosses the custody threshold.

"I assess the remorse you have for your actions as very minimal indeed."

Romaine Sawyers played in the Premier League with West Brom last season

Mr Silwood had denied sending the offensive message when appearing at Walsall Magistrates' Court on September 9.

He abused the midfielder, who came through West Brom's academy before stints at Walsall and Brentford and returning to Albion in 2019, on social media when he suggested the player should win the "Baboon d'Or".

He posted the message on a Facebook group after the side's 5-0 defeat to Manchester City at the Hawthorns in January.

The 50-year-old told police his message on the group was "stupid not racial". He also said his post had autocorrected the word "buffoon" to "baboon".

The player said he was left feeling 'harassed, alarmed and distressed' after reading it.

Mr Silwood was convicted of sending an offensive message under section 127 of the Communications Act.

PC Stuart Ward, appointed the UK's first football hate crime officer in January, said racial abuse of players was nothing new but he had been shocked by some of the complaints he had received.

The officer, who has himself suffered such abuse, told Birmingham Live: "I've been in this role since January and within that time I've been taken aback by how many reports have come in. For me, it's out there and it's happening.

"It has been happening in football grounds since the 1970s, m gestures and throwing banana skins at players, it hasn't suddenly appeared - it has always been there.

"Now players, football clubs and fans are more confident in reporting it."