Ian Trow, 43, of Milton Keynes and a 14-year-old boy, who cannot be named, were both convicted for shouting homophobic abuse at former Portsmouth defender Sol Campbell during a match at Fratton Park on Sept. 28 last year. But both cases have been overturned after the pair launched a successful appeal, heard Monday at Portsmouth Crown Court.
Trow was initially fined over $800 and banned from attending soccer matches for three years. The boy was also fined and banned for three years. But Judge Richard Price overturned both convictions and sentences on the grounds that it was not possible to determine whether either defendant shouted abusive words. “We can hear the crowd, we can hear the words ‘gay boy.’ We can’t be sure those words came from Mr. Trow’s mouth. We can’t be sure those words came from the boy’s mouth,” Price said.
Trow and the teenager plead not guilty to charges, the only two of 11 defendants to do so. Four men pleaded guilty to the offense in January and were sentenced to a three-year ban order and a fine. Three men and two 15-year-old boys were given police cautions. Trow said that he and the boy also had the option of accepting a police caution, but turned it down in order to prove their innocence. Trow said he now intends to pursue a civil action against the police.