LONDON: The trial has resumed of Chelsea captain John Terry over allegations he racially abused Anton Ferdinand. The case relates to a comment allegedly made to the Queens Park Rangers defender when the teams played last October.
Terry, 31, is charged with a racially-aggravated public order offence. He has denied the allegation at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. If found guilty, the maximum sentence is a £2,500 fine. It is alleged the Chelsea defender insulted Mr Ferdinand by calling him black with the use of extreme sexual swear words.
On Monday, Anton Ferdinand told a court he would have been “very hurt” if he had heard John Terry racially abuse him. Lip reader and sign language interpreter Susan Whitewood concurred the bad language had been employed.
Mr Ferdinand told the court he initially did not think any racist terms had been used. But after the match, his girlfriend at the time played him a YouTube clip and he changed his mind.
Police questioned Mr Terry under caution in November and a file on the matter was sent to the Crown Prosecution Service at the beginning of December.
The decision to investigate the former England captain was taken when police received a complaint from a member of the public after the Premier League match at Loftus Road.
Anton Ferdinand has played for West Ham, Sunderland and QPR and is the brother of Rio Ferdinand, John Terry’s England team-mate and defensive partner for the national side. =