Pensioner aged 72 faces trial as ‘ race hate football lout’
A PENSIONER aged 72 faces being branded one of Britain’s oldest ever football hooligans if he is convicted of making racist gestures at black stars.
Ernest Goult denied hurling abuse at players during a Championship match when he appeared in court yesterday.
Three black players from Blackburn Rovers are expected to give evidence in the case against the Middlesbrough supporter.
The alleged incident happened as the players left the pitch at the end of a 1- 1 draw between the sides in a Football League Championship match last November.
Abusive
Goult is accused of making the gestures at a group of players from the away side.
Among Blackburn stars, the Swedish footballer Marcus Olsson, Benin international Rudy Gestede and Derby- born Lee Williamson will all be called as witnesses at Goult’s trial before Teeside magistrates.
At yesterday’s hearing he denied racially aggravated disorder and a second charge of using threatening or abusive words or behaviour.
Amy Dixon, for Goult, said the case will hinge on identification evidence, with the accused denying he was responsible for the foul gestures.
The incident
was
allegedly caught on CCTV, which the defendant has seen, the court heard.
Grey- haired Goult, of Redcar, Teesside, who wore an opennecked shirt and dark blue suit to court, will appear for trial on June 11.
He leant forward against the desk in front of him so that he could hear what was being said in court.
When told he must attend for trial he replied: “Right you are.”
The court heard Goult has no previous convictions.
Middlesbrough led 1- 0 at the Riverside until four minutes into stoppage time, when Blackburn’s Rudy Gestede scored a controversial equaliser. The Middlesbrough fan was allegedly seen gesturing at a player in a way perceived as racist at the end of the match.
Blackburn reported the alleged incident to the FA following the match on November 29.
It happened at about 5pm as the Blackburn players applauded their fans in the away end, police said at the time.
Striker Gestede appeared to react angrily to a signal from the crowd.
Promotion- chasing Middlesbrough were aggrieved because they felt their goalkeeper Dimi Konstantopoulos had been fouled in the run- up to the goal.