Wolves fan Jamie Arnold shouted homophobic slurs at referee

Jamie Arnold was found guilty of making homophobic comments towards a referee

A Wolverhampton Wanderers fan shouted homophobic abuse at a referee during a match, a court has heard.

Jamie Arnold, 31, was found guilty of using threatening or abusive words or behaviour when his team took on Manchester United on 23 May.

Walsall Magistrates' Court also heard Mr Arnold made gestures "obviously mimicking disability".

He was fined £340 by District Judge Stephen Flint and ordered to pay a victim surcharge and prosecution costs.

He was also banned from football matches for three years.

Mr Arnold, from Norton Bridge near Stone, Staffordshire, was arrested shortly before half time during the match, which was the first time fans had returned to the Molineux ground since the pandemic.

Jamie Arnold was arrested before half time on 23 May

During his trial, he denied using homophobic language, saying instead he had used a variety of swear words to abuse referee Mike Dean and players.

As for his hand gestures, he claimed his actions - which were caught on CCTV - were an attempt to mock a player who had fallen to the ground "rather easily".

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While District Judge Flint said he could not be sure who the abuse was aimed at, he found Mr Arnold guilty of the public order offence.

He noted that children had been nearby and the abuse could have been the "trigger for violence".

Wolves fans praised

The judge also commended two witnesses who he said had shown "considerable bottle and done their public duty to call this out".

West Midlands Police's dedicated football hate crime officer, PC Stuart Ward, said there was "no justification" for Mr Arnold's "vulgar actions".

"This was the first Wolves match with fans at Molineux following the pandemic and should have been a day of enjoyment," he said.

"Instead, other supporters had to listen to and see vile behaviour.

""However, due to the support of Wolves and their supporters we were able to secure this conviction and a Football Banning Order."

Mr Arnold was ordered to pay the fine and court costs at a rate of £50 a month.