Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
My forgiveness wasn’t about an invitation to lighten his sentence...
Wright anger as court lets off racist abuser
ARSENAL great Ian Wright hit out at a court’s leniency yesterday after an Irish teen who racially abused him walked away scot free.
The former footballer said he was “disappointed” Patrick O’brien dodged a criminal conviction for sending offensive messages to him last year.
The 18-year-old, from Ashleigh Downs, Tralee, Co Kerry, was given the Probation Act during a sentencing hearing at the district court in his home town yesterday.
He attacked Wright in private messages on Instagram last May after he lost a Fifa game on Playstation.
He had pleaded guilty to two charges of harassing the former Arsenal star on May 11 contrary to the Non-fatal Offences Against The Person Act 1997 and sending a message by phone that was grossly offensive, obscene and menacing.
Wright, who posted a message on social media after the sentencing, said: “I’ve seen today’s judgement and I’m disappointed.
“This case was never about revenge, it was always about consequences for acts of racism.
“My forgiveness of this young man was for my own deeply personal need and desire to move forward without further anguish.
“I am a 57-year-old man that has experienced racism throughout my life. I wasn’t expecting my forgiveness to be an invitation to lighten a sentence.
“Seeing this judgement, I can only wonder what deterrent there is for anyone who spouts this kind of vile racist abuse. An individual wished death upon me because of my skin colour.
“No judge’s claims of ‘naivety’ or ‘immaturity’ will ever be acceptable to us. The supposed immaturity and naivety of our attackers is never any comfort.
“So yeah, I am disappointed.
I’m tired. We are all tired.”
At a sentencing hearing at
Tralee District Court yesterday,
Judge David Waters said
“he didn’t see anything to be gained” by imposing a criminal conviction. ANGUISH Wright’s statement
He noted O’brien has shown genuine naive, immature, young man. He remorse for his actions and had donated noted that he had written a fulsome €500 to the Irish Network Against apology to Mr Wright, which was Racism out of his own volition. accepted by the former England player,
Judge Waters said the language who forgave his abuser. used by the accused was reprehensible, but was the unthinking behaviour of a