John Terry racism trial to begin

[Paul Marin]

John Terry racism trial to begin

July 9, 2012

• Email
• Print

By ESPN staff

Chelsea captain John Terry is to go on trial on Monday accused of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand, an accusation Terry strongly denies.

GettyImagesJohn Terry and Anton Ferdinand faced one another in Saturday's FA Cup fourth round win for Chelsea



• Terry to face race trial in July
Terry, 31, was charged with a racially-aggravated public order offence after allegedly shouting an offensive comment at Ferdinand, 27, during Chelsea's 1-0 loss to QPR on October 23 last year.
The comment was allegedly made, and seemingly caught on footage, to the QPR player when the two teams met in the Premier League at Loftus Road.
Terry's lawyer entered a not guilty plea on his behalf at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court in February.
His trial was delayed until after the Euro 2012 Championship after District Judge Howard Riddle was informed that a number of other Chelsea players would not be able to appear as witnesses until the end of the football season.
Terry, who faces a maximum fine of £2,500 if convicted, will go on trial at the court from 10.00 BST on Monday.
The case is expected to last for five days.

[Paul Marin]

Bet he gets off because they have to prove to a "beyond reasonable doubt standard in court, which I don't think will happen.

[Lazie]

... or him get off because he cleared the ball in the Ukraine game.

[Jangle]

.....or he gets off because he's John Terry.

[Paul Marin]

.....or he gets off because he's John Terry.

Or because Suarez's punishment was enough for 100 misappropriations of justice? Hard knocks when you consider that Terry is *probably* guilty and Suarez WASN'T...but as these things go, Suarez gets a 40,000 pound fine and an 8 match ban when all Terry is facing is a 2500 pound fine...which he probably won't end up paying because they will find him not guilty. Justice? Right.

[Hortical]

And England is the utopia of racial togetherness....

[Paul Marin]

And England is the utopia of racial togetherness....

...sure...they certainly "say" so...

[Dunny]

Terry cleared of racially abusing Ferdinand as Chelsea captain is found not guilty in race trial

By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 14:25, 13 July 2012 | UPDATED: 15:15, 13 July 2012

• Comments (24)
• Share

John Terry has been found not guilty of a racially aggravated public order offence involving Anton Ferdinand.
Terry was charged after he was seen mouthing the words 'f****** black c***' in Ferdinand's direction during Chelsea's defeat against QPR at Loftus Road on October 23 last year.
When the verdict from Senior District Judge (Chief Magistrate) Howard Riddle arrived, Terry simply nodded in response.
He soon left the court expressionless and did not make any comment before being taken away in a waiting car.

Dan Morrison, Terry's lawyer, said outside court: 'The court has today acquitted John Terry of all charges. He has consistently explained his position to the FA, the police and to the court.


Free man: John Terry walks out of court after being cleared of the charges






Judgement day: John Terry arrives at Westminster Magistrates Court on Friday afternoon









Read the full ruling...


Click HERE for the 15-page document


'He did not racially abuse Mr Ferdinand and the court has accepted this. John would like to thank his legal team for their hard work and his family, friends and Chelsea Football Club for their support.'
Giving his verdict, Mr Riddle said the case was not about 'whether Mr Terry is a racist in the broadest sense of the word'
He said he had heard a great deal of evidence to show that he is not. 'It is understandable why Mr Terry wants to make this point, his reputation is at stake,' he said.

A statement from the Crown Prosecution Service read: 'The very serious allegation at the heart of this case was one of racial abuse. It was our view that this was not "banter" on the football pitch and that the allegation should be judged by a court.

'The Chief Magistrate agreed that Mr Terry had a case to answer, but having heard all of the evidence he acquitted Mr Terry of a racially aggravated offence. That is justice being done and we respect the Chief Magistrate’s decision.'


Result: Chelsea fans celebrate Terry's not guilty verdict outside the courthouse


Arriving at Westminster Magistrates Court, Terry received shouts of encouragement as well as boos from members of the public gathered outside.
He entered the dock at just before 2pm wearing a grey suit with a grey tie. Family members of both Terry and Ferdinand were in a packed gallery to hear the verdict delivered.
Terry is now expected to fly away on holiday with his family before returning for pre-season training with Chelsea ahead of the new Barclays Premier League season.
Speaking outside the court, Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck - who has been in court every day - said: 'Chelsea Football Club notes and, of course, we respect the decision of the magistrate today. We are pleased that John can now put his mind to football and go back to training and do what he's done for many years.'

Explaining his verdict, Mr Riddle said: 'There is no doubt that John Terry uttered the words 'f****** black c***' at Anton Ferdinand. When he did so he was angry. Mr Ferdinand says that he did not precipitate this comment by himself, accusing Mr Terry of calling him a black c***.

Big day: Terry and his team arrive at court by a scrum of photographers

'Even with all the help the court has received from television footage, expert lip readers, witnesses and indeed counsel, it is impossible to be sure exactly what were the words spoken by Mr Terry at the relevant time.

'It is impossible to be sure exactly what was said to him at the relevant time by Mr Ferdinand. It is not only that all of this happened in a matter of seconds. For a small part of the relevant time the camera's view of Mr Terry was obstructed. We do not have a clear camera view of Mr Ferdinand, sufficient to pick up exactly what he said.

'No matter how serious the incident looks now, and how crucial the exact wording is now, at the time it was secondary to the key witnesses. They are professional footballers in the final minutes of a game where the result mattered to them both. They would naturally concentrate on the game more than on exactly what had been said to them or by them.

'There was the noise of the crowd. There is the fact that towards the end of a game players are not only physically tired they are also mentally tired. I don't need evidence to tell me that.

'It is a crucial fact that nobody has given evidence that they heard what Mr Terry said or more importantly how he said it. He has given effectively the same account throughout. Insofar as there are discrepancies in his account, they are understandable and natural.
'He says that he was himself wrongly accused by Mr Ferdinand on the pitch of calling him a black c***. He has maintained that from the beginning. (Terry's team mate) Mr Ashley Cole has corroborated that it was mentioned to him during the game.
Clash: Terry (right) and Anton Ferdinand exchanged words when Chelsea visited QPR
'There is no doubt that reasonably soon after the game he made the accusation to Mr Ferdinand. He confirmed that basic account in a statement on the evening of the match.

'He gave a very detailed account to the FA and later to the police. He gave evidence to that effect in this court. There have been minor discrepancies in the account. It seems likely that his belief that he was wrongly accused on the pitch has strengthened as time goes by, and I have discussed that above.

'However, his account has been subject to the most searching and thorough questioning on at least three occasions. Nobody has been able to show that he is lying. The lip readers do not provide evidence that categorically contradicts his account.
'What may at first sight have seemed clear to the non-expert, is less clear now. There are limitations to lip reading, even by an expert. I have assessed John Terry as a credible witness. Weighing all the evidence together, I think it is highly unlikely that Mr Ferdinand accused Mr Terry on the pitch of calling him a black c***. However, I accept that it is possible that Mr Terry believed at the time, and believes now, that such an accusation was made.
'The prosecution evidence as to what was said by Mr Ferdinand at this point is not strong. Mr Cole gives corroborating (although far from compelling corroborating) evidence on this point. It is therefore possible that what he said was not intended as an insult, but rather as a challenge to what he believed had been said to him.

'In those circumstances, there being a doubt, the only verdict the court can record is one of not guilty.'


What next for Terry as he walks clear from court?


CHELSEA: He will be welcomed back into the fold, told to forget about the days that threatened his professional reputation, and told to rest before returning for pre-season training.

ENGLAND: Given he was stripped of the captaincy because of the criminal proceedings, he could make a case for being restored as captain. Roy Hodgson insists Steven Gerrard is his skipper for 2014 World Cup qualifiers, but in the eyes of the law, Terry would be an innocent man.

THE FA: Will re-examine their position and decide whether to act in light of the court verdict.




Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz20Vpm6jco

[Paul Marin]

As I said, this is no surprise. All of you who condemned Suarez with LESS EVIDENCE now you know why the FA ran a disgusting kangaroo court and trial on a far lesser standard. Even though Terry is DIRECTLY SEEN saying the words "black ----" (no such footage for Suarez), he gets off. Right. Where's the outrage? To all jokers who let your Ghana bitterness affect your judgment, I hope this verdict shows the folly of the Suarez case. As I've said before, there is ZERO chance the Suarez case could have held up in court. Zero!

[Paul Marin]

And here is the EXACT ISSUE that exonerates Suarez...

As I said, this is no surprise. All of you who condemned Suarez with LESS EVIDENCE now you know why the FA ran a disgusting kangaroo court and trial on a far lesser standard. Even though Terry is DIRECTLY SEEN saying the words "black ----" (no such footage for Suarez), he gets off. Right. Where's the outrage? To all jokers who let your Ghana bitterness affect your judgment, I hope this verdict shows the folly of the Suarez case. As I've said before, there is ZERO chance the Suarez case could have held up in court. Zero!

"Even with all the help the court has received from television footage, expert lip readers, witnesses and indeed counsel, it is impossible to be sure exactly what were [all] the words spoken by Mr Terry at the relevant time. It is impossible to be sure exactly what was said to him at the relevant time by Mr Ferdinand.
"It is therefore possible that what he said was not intended as an insult, but rather as a challenge to what he believed had been said to him.
"For a small part of the relevant time, the camera's view of Mr Terry was obstructed. It is a crucial fact that nobody has given evidence that they heard what Mr Terry said or, more importantly, how he said it. His account has been subject to the most searching and thorough questioning.
"In those circumstances, there being a doubt, the only verdict the court can record is one of not guilty."

This is the difference between a REAL COURT and a KANGAROO COURT. In the FA's own documents, they show that there was doubt about what Suarez said...but I'm sure there are those among you who believe that calling someone a "f-ing black c--t" is better than "neh-gro". Suarez should sue the FA for libel.

[OJ]

well if terry said he said what they claim he said it would be different. Your guys said yeah i said it but in my country it is ok to say so. Very bad defense.. it reminds me of the mercy killings you see with asian people and they said well in india i can kill by daughter if she brings shame to the family... not a good defense at all.

[Peter R]

He DID say he said what he was accused of, but sarcastically!! cho' ... unuh looking for every reason to justify the Suarez "guilty " verdict by the FA... who BTW will do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in the aftermath of this court case with respect to JT.

It is indeed hypocritical and ironic that this case, the one where outrage should genuinely be demonstrated has drawn not even a "meow" from all ah unuh pon dis site... unuh know who unuh is...

[Peter R]

..and OJ if I were to be accused of saying you are full of hyperbole, I would be guilty of a gross understatement... we (including you)all use these terms " de white bwoy", de chinee guy" " de ****** bwoy" etc quite freely in our own context ... suh cut out de rubbish!

[OJ]

Actually i dont. I see your point just saying regardless of your positon Surez is an idiot and his defense was poor. In this case TH said i did not abuse him. I did not think TH case should have been in court but should have been dealth with by the FA. And if he said I did not say it so be it.

[Bricktop]

But they have him on tape...remember...