France Gives Four Chelsea Fans Suspended Terms Over Racist Incident
Muhammad Rameez Published January 03, 2017 | 10:20 PM
PARIS, Jan 3, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Jan, 2017 ) - A French court Tuesday handed suspended jail terms to four Chelsea football fans over a racist incident before a Champions League match and ordered them to pay the victim 10,000 Euros ($10,400) in compensation.
The men were among Chelsea fans seen in video footage chanting, "we are racist, we are racist and that's the way we like it," as they pushed back a black man trying to board a Paris metro train in the incident in February 2015.
After a one-day trial, the court gave suspended one-year sentences to Richard Barklie, a 52-year-old former policeman, and William Simpson, 27, neither of whom attended the trial in the French capital.
Joshua Parsons, 22, a former pupil of the elite Millfield school in England, now working in the building trade, and James Fairbairn, 25, a civil engineer, were given suspended terms of eight and six months respectively.
The court ordered the men collectively to pay 10,000 euros to the victim, Souleymane Sylla. After giving evidence, Parsons apologised to Sylla, a Frenchman of Mauritanian origin, but denied there was any racist aspect to the incident.
Turning to Sylla in court, Parsons said: "I am very sorry to Mr Sylla, but I was not racist in any way." The incident was recorded by a passenger and widely used in the British and French media. Under French law, they could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined 100,000 euros. Parsons, Fairbairn and Barklie have already been banned from football stadiums in Britain.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
HEC reviews curricula for environmental sciences degree programme
ICC Asia looking forward to an action-packed Asia Cricket Week
Yuvraj Singh named ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Ambassador
Greece hands Olympic flame to 2024 Paris Games hosts
Two Kyiv hospitals evacuating over feared Russian strikes
World must act on neurotech revolution, say experts
Charles & Catherine's cancer diagnoses
Champions Alcaraz and Sabalenka through in Madrid Open
King Charles to resume some public duties during cancer treatment: palace
US defense chief announces $6 bn in security aid for Ukraine
Heavy rains cause damage to Spezand-Taftan railway track
Woman stabbed in Israel, attacker killed: police
More Stories From Sports
-
ICC Asia looking forward to an action-packed Asia Cricket Week
5 hours ago -
Yuvraj Singh named ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Ambassador
5 hours ago -
Greece hands Olympic flame to 2024 Paris Games hosts
4 hours ago -
Champions Alcaraz and Sabalenka through in Madrid Open
5 hours ago -
Bagnaia hits back with record Jerez practice lap
4 hours ago -
Greece hands Olympic flame to 2024 Paris Games hosts
4 hours ago
-
Shahzaib Rind calls on Deputy Speaker Balochistan
6 hours ago -
Inter-university weightlifting championship kicks off at SAU
6 hours ago -
T20 World Cup 2024 Trophy unveiling ceremony held
6 hours ago -
Football: Italian Serie A table
8 hours ago -
Football: French Ligue 1 table
8 hours ago -
New Zealand cricket CEO visits PSCA, expresses satisfaction over security arrangements
8 hours ago