A British man, who was initially arrested on suspicion of racially abusing Congolese footballer Yannick Bolasie, was also slapped with a series of other unrelated charges after authorities found images of child abuse on his phone. He has since been jailed for both offenses.
According to BBC, 22-year-old Kirk Thompson sent Bolasie the racist online message during his stint at Middlesbrough – a football club based in England. The DR Congo international, who now plays for Turkish side Caykur Rizespor, subsequently shared the racist message on social media.
Bolasie received the online abuse in March last year, and the 32-year-old reportedly referred to Thompson as a “keyboard warrior” and “rat” when he shared the message.
Thompson was handed a 1-year sentence after he pleaded guilty to three charges of possession of indecent images of children, permitting to be taken or making indecent images of children, and sending a racist message.
The convicted man has also been placed on the sex offenders list. Sheriff Alastair Brown said Thompson was well aware of his actions, and such incidents perpetuate the act of sending online abuse and a toxic environment.
