Terry in exchange of words with Anton Ferdinand
ENGLAND footballer John Terry called Anton Ferdinand a racist obscenity in response to taunts about his alleged affair with a team-mate?s ex-girlfriend, a court heard today.
The 31-year-old Chelsea defender allegedly called Ferdinand, who plays for Queens Park Rangers, a ?f****** black c***?.
Terry is accused of a racially aggravated public order offence during a Premier League match on October 23 last year, which was broadcast to millions of people.
Appearing at Westminster Magistrates? Court today, Terry sat in the dock wearing a light grey suit, white shirt and pink tie.
The court heard that Terry told Ferdinand to ?f*** off? and also called him a ?f****** knobhead? as the pair exchanged insults.
Opening the prosecution today, Duncan Penny said: ?The Crown alleges that the words he used demonstrated hostility based on Mr Ferdinand?s membership or presumed membership of a racial group.?
The court heard that Terry maintains he was only sarcastically repeating words that Ferdinand wrongly thought he had used.
Mr Penny said: ?The Crown alleges that the defendant, most probably in response to physical gestures being made by Mr Ferdinand which the defendant understood to refer to the well-publicised allegation of an extra-marital affair with a team-mate?s wife, shouted at Mr Ferdinand.?
He went on: ?The Crown?s case is that the words were abusive and insulting in a straightforward sense and that the term ?f****** black c***? was uttered as an abusive insult demonstrating hostility based on Mr Ferdinand?s membership of a racial group.
?They were uttered by the defendant in response to goading by Mr Ferdinand on the issue of his extra-marital affair, rather than by way of exaggerated and instant querying of a perceived false allegation.?
Terry was allowed out of the dock into the well of the court to view footage of the alleged insult.
The case continues.
