UK teenager jailed for racially abusing Manchester United star Marcus Rashford
India Today
19-year-old Justin Lee Price was sentenced to 6 weeks in prison for racially abusing England international Marcus Rashford for racially abusing him on Twitter following a missed penalty in England Euro 2020 final last year.
A British teenager on Wednesday was sentenced to 6 weeks in prison for racially abusing England and Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford on Twitter after last year's Euro 2020 final. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed the development.
Rashford and his England teammates Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were targeted with online abuse after missing their penalties in the shootout against Italy in July. The trio was subjected to trolling and abuse on social media even as fellow footballers condemned the abuse, jumping to the support of the England internationals.
Justin Lee Price, 19, from Worcester, previously admitted to sending a grossly offensive message by public communication network at a hearing at Worcester Magistrates Court on March 17.
Price was sentenced at Kidderminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday. He initially tried to avoid detection by changing his Twitter username after the post was reported, the CPS said.
The teenager denied the offence in the first police interview following his arrest but admitted to posting the tweet when questioned for a second time.
"Price targeted a footballer based on the colour of his skin and his action was clearly racist and a hate crime," Mark Johnson, a senior crown prosecutor for CPS West Midlands, said in a statement.
"Those who racially abuse footballers ruin the game for all. I hope this case sends out the message that we will not tolerate racism, and offenders will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."
