A man who admitted sending racially abusive messages on social media about England footballer Jess Carter has been sentenced to six weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months.
Nigel Dewale, 60, made the comments under his username "Bogeyman" during the Women's Euro 2025 tournament in which England successfully defended their trophy.
The messages included a derogatory reference to Carter's race and made baseless claims of a link between race and crimes including murder and grooming.
Dewale, of Great Harwood, Lancashire, was also sentenced to 10 days' community work, given a four-year football banning order, a three-month curfew, and fined £239 at Blackburn Magistrates' Court.
District Judge Tony Watkin told Dewale he had "come very close indeed" to sending him to jail but took into account the impact it would have on his 20-year-old daughter who suffered from epilepsy, for whom he was the primary carer.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham condemned the "disgusting racism" faced by Carter in the wake of the abuse.
The central defender plays her club football in the United States for Gotham FC in the National Women's Soccer League, having previously represented Chelsea and Birmingham City in the UK.
The 28-year-old, from Warwick, previously said she was stepping away from social media after she was subjected to racist abuse online during last year's Women's Euros.
