Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Teen’s dad calls for abuse to stop
how to deal with it. I worry for my daughter’s safety, I really do.”
Andy quit his job as an air conditioning engineer two years ago to care for wife Sarah, 38, who has a neurological condition. He said the row over the past few days have been a huge strain.
His clip showed Carragher, 40, spitting into his car after Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford last Saturday. Carragher claims he saw red after Andy goaded him over the loss.
The spittle hit Andy’s daughter, whose identity we are protecting, in the face. Carragher rang the family to apologise on Sunday and called again on Monday.
He said on Sky News: “I have no excuse. My biggest regret… is for a 14-year-old girl to be caught in the middle of an altercation with her father.” The family hoped to remain anonymous but Andy was named on a national newspaper’s website yesterday.
One Twitter user said: “I’ve been waiting for someone to post his picture. I bet he’s wetting himself now.” Another added: “The video shows the guy breaking the law himself, and Carra spitting at his vehicle, no evidence the girl was hit, but plenty of evidence the driver is a c***.”
Yesterday, two policemen visited Andy to talk to him about using his mobile at the wheel – but he will not face any further action. Explaining why he used his phone while driving, he said: “When you see someone off the telly you get a bit giddy. As he was ex-liverpool as well, I thought I would just have a bit of banter about the result. I just wanted to have a laugh with him because he comes across as a very amiable guy.” On begging Sky not to sack Carragher, he said: “Everyone makes mistakes. I don’t want him to lose his job. I enjoy listening to him, even though he is an ex-liverpool player!” And Andy said if he could turn the clock back, he would not shoot the footage, adding: “It has obviously not turned out like I wanted.”