Racist fan's Facebook post 'harassed' West Brom player

Sawyers played for West Brom between 2009 and 2013 and then rejoined the club from Brentford in 2019

A football fan's Facebook message about a Championship footballer was intentionally racist and not the result of autocorrect, a court has found.

West Bromwich Albion's Romaine Sawyers became aware of the post after the team was beaten 5-0 by Manchester City.

Simon Silwood, 50, of Kingswinford, admitted being its source but had blamed the language on a misspelling.

But that was rejected and he was found guilty of sending a racial slur under the Malicious Communications Act.

West Brom has issued Silwood with a lifetime ban.

Opening the case at Walsall Magistrates' Court, prosecutor Simon Brownsey said Silwood deliberately sought to make a "blatant" racist pun about the midfielder, currently on loan at Stoke City.

Simon Silwood (centre) told police he believed his message on the Facebook group was "stupid not racial"

The post was on a "sarcastic" fan zone Facebook group titled "Romaine Sawyers - Ballon d'Or", a reference to the annual award to the world's best player.

Silwood, of Randall Close, Kingswinford, said he had meant to type that Mr Sawyers should win the "buffoon d'Or".

He claimed a misspelling, of "bafoon", had autocorrected on his device to "baboon".

District Judge Briony Clarke said she did not believe Silwood, a steel worker, was a credible witness and was sure that he had sent the message deliberately.

Mr Brownsey said the player became aware of the content after speaking to police to report racial abuse on Instagram.

'Harassed, alarmed and distressed'

In a statement provided to the court, Mr Sawyers said: "As I read it, I felt numb and did not know what to say.

"Having seen [the word] I assumed it was referring to the colour of my skin."

He added: "The word has left me feeling harassed, alarmed and distressed and I find the message to be racist.

"The whole incident has left me extremely upset."

• Football 'sliding backwards' on racism

• Euro 2020 racism: Saka troll confronted

• Latest news and updates from the West Midlands

A spokesperson for West Bromwich Albion said: "The club welcomes the guilty verdict and has issued a lifetime ban to the person in question."

According to the prosecution, Silwood had been "upset with how the game went" on 26 January.

The court heard he was charged following work carried out by PC Stuart Ward, the UK's first dedicated hate crime officer within a football unit.

Silwood is set to be sentenced on 30 September.

He had faced a charge of sending a message by means of a public electronic communications network that was grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character.