Liverpool fan given three year football banning order for shouting homophobic slur
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A three year Football Banning Order has been issued to a Liverpool fan for shouting a homophobic slur during the game against Everton on 1st December 2021.
Sam Lomax, 23, of Camp Road, Woolton, was handed the ban after it was reported that he directed the slur towards the home fans at Goodison Park.
A matchday steward heard the comment and identified Lomax to police officers.
Lomax was arrested under section 5 of the Public Order act and later further arrested on suspicion of causing intentional harassment, alarm and distress.
He pleaded guilty yesterday, Wednesday 2nd March, at South Sefton Magistrates Court in Bootle and was issued with a three year Football Banning order, preventing him from attending any regulated football matches during that time.
Detective Inspector Steven O’Neill said: “This result shows that we will not tolerate hate anywhere on Merseyside and making homophobic comments is never acceptable.
“I would like to take this opportunity to encourage any football fans with information on such incidents to speak with officers or stewards at the ground or call 101 so that offenders can be found and face the consequences of their actions.”
Anyone with information on hate crime is asked to contact Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’. You can also call 101 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.
If, for any reason, you do not wish to report a hate crime to the police, the independent charity Stop Hate UK to run a 24/7 confidential helpline for all victims of hate crime on 0800 138 1625 or www.stophateuk.org. You can also download the Stop Hate UK reporting app on Google Play or the Apple App Store.
Across Merseyside, we also have a number of third party reporting centres including fire stations, citizens advice bureaus and hospitals. A list of locations can be viewed here: merseyside-third-party-hate-crime-reporting-centres.pdf
You can report an incident of discrimination in football - whether it took place online or at a grassroots, non-league or professional game – by downloading the Kick It Out app. You can also report any incidents via their online form here: https://www.kickitout.org/forms/online-reporting-form.