Football fan who shouted 'pikey' at player cleared of racial abuse

A football fan who shouted the word "pikey" at a player during a heated match has been cleared of racial abuse.

Millwall supporter Gary O'Neill walked free after magistrates heard that fans of rivals Gillingham had adopted the derogatory term for gipsy travellers.

The 49-year-old kitchen fitter yesterday branded the decision to charge him a "huge waste of time and money".


Photo from here.

O'Neill, from Maidstone, Kent, was arrested after his team lost 2-0 in a League One clash last September. He had shouted to a player who writhed in pain on the ground from a heavy tackle to "get up you pikey". O'Neill was kept in a cell for six hours before being charged.

His solicitor showed JPs in Chatham, Kent, a Gillingham supporter's blue T-shirt bearing the phrase "Pure Pikey". He said the word was often chanted on the team's terraces in a self-mocking way.

O'Neill, a Millwall fan for 30 years who once played for Gillingham's youth team, said after the case: "I saw one of the magistrates shake his head. The whole thing was ridiculous and a huge waste of money."