DETA’S TEARS AFTER RACIST ABUSE HELL

Star targeted following Lakeside defeat

DETA HEDMAN has revealed she was called a “f ****** ugly n ***** ” in a shockingly abusive email as the scourge of racism stained ladies’ darts.

Former world No.1 Hedman, 59, was moved to tears after receiving the appalling correspondence following her first round defeat by Maria O’brien (right) at the Lakeside in the BDO world championship.

And as the three-times finalist thanked friends and well-wishers for their support, she warned: “Racism in sport is still there – it never went away, believe you me.”

Hedman, born in

Jamaica but a UK resident since she was

13, is a hugely-popular figure in the sport and promised one crank’s vile correspondence – thought to emanate from Finland – will not drive her off the oche.

She has reported it to police – but, disturbingly, it was not the first time she has been subjected to racist vulgarity.

Hedman said: “One prime example: I was in the Czech Republic and a person with an English accent actually went, ‘I didn’t know they trained a monkey to play darts’.

“This latest message came through after I lost my match on Sunday. I didn’t do a TV interview because I was really quite mad at myself for playing not so well.

“Afterwards I had a look at my phone to see if there were any messages and there was an email saying, ‘Go kill yourself you f ****** ugly n ***** , you’re a disgrace to darts’. “I showed it to my other half, Paul, and he was absolutely mad as hell. He was incensed.

“The name it came from looked Finnish and Paul said we need to check with the Finland Darts Organisation to see if they can find who it is.

“Paul sent him an email and he has actually replied – saying exactly the same thing again. Paul said he would send it to the sender’s employer and he said, ‘He’s racist as well’.

“What got me, not in a bad way, was reading nice comments on social media. They made me cry more than what that guy said.

“He’s just one idiot – but I was sat at work and the tears were flooding with the kind comments from people. “I’m really looking forward to going to Q School next week – getting through that would make up for losing at Lakeside and the email abuse. I won’t give up, that’s for sure.”