A teenage mechanic who shared football referee John Beaton’s address and phone number online after a controversial penalty decision has been fined £706.
Corey Davies, 19, obtained the personal details when Beaton's wife brought her car to the garage where he worked for repairs. Beaton and his spouse Laura subsequently received numerous calls from unknown numbers.
Background of the incident
Beaton was placed under police surveillance amid safety fears after he awarded a late penalty to Celtic in their 3-2 win at Motherwell on May 13. The decision came in the dying seconds of injury time with the score 2-2. Beaton was alerted by VAR and, after reviewing TV footage, awarded a penalty for handball against Motherwell defender Sam Nicholson. Kelechi Iheanacho scored to secure a vital three points for Celtic.
Three days later, Celtic beat long-time leaders Hearts 3-1 to clinch the title. A Scottish Football Association panel later ruled that the penalty should not have been given.
Court proceedings
Police were alerted when Beaton's details were leaked on social media. Davies, of Mauldslie Road, Carluke, appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Wednesday, July 22. He admitted breaching the Data Protection Act 2018 by disclosing personal details without consent. He was working at a Park's of Hamilton garage at the time.
Cameron Murdoch, prosecuting, said Beaton was watching his son play football the night after the match when he received a call. Mr Murdoch told the court: 'He answered, believing it to be a work call, and heard a voice saying "Hello. Is this John Beaton?". Further calls were received and, due to the number of them, Mr Beaton believed his phone number had been leaked.'
'He then received communication from the SFA saying that a Park's director had been made aware that someone in the business had leaked Mr Beaton's personal information. Numerous "No ID" phone calls were received by Mr Beaton. He and his wife continued to receive calls and voicemails throughout the night. They began the process of changing their numbers.'
Park's bosses found that Davies had photographed Laura Beaton's job card containing the family's address, mobile phone numbers, and her car registration number. Defence lawyer Michael Poggi said Davies shared the photo with three friends on Snapchat, and one of them distributed it further.
Mr Poggi said the first offender has ADHD and his actions were 'spontaneous and ill-judged but not malicious'. The solicitor added: 'He apologises to the complainers for the distress they obviously had. His actions were foolish and cost him his job but, given his otherwise good professional reputation, he has been able to secure alternative employment.'
Sentence and reaction
Sheriff John Hamilton KC fined Davies £666 and added a victim surcharge of £40. He told the accused he had acted in an 'immature and stupid' way but acknowledged his lack of previous offending and early guilty plea. The sheriff added: 'Someone older than you would have been more able to foresee the consequences of doing this. This should be a message to you that there is a responsibility when you have such information.'
Last week, Motherwell's Elliot Watt was given a four-match ban for branding Beaton's penalty award 'the worst VAR decision in history'. The SFA condemned the online leak as an attempt to 'compromise the safety' of the referee.
In a statement, it said: 'Such vigilantism, motivated by decisions perceived to be right or wrong on a field of play, is a scourge on our national game. This is the inevitable consequence of the heightened criticism, intolerance and scapegoating demonstrated this season by media pundits, supporters, official supporters' groups, clubs, players, managers and former match officials.'
'Those who have sought to apportion blame and conspiracy towards match officials to deflect from defeats or perceived injustices throughout the season have contributed to an environment that puts the safety of our staff and match officials in jeopardy. This is the consequence of a hysterical media narrative, fuelled by irresponsible knee-jerk post-match media interviews, commentary and official social media posts.'
'The cumulative effect impacts on our ability to provide enough referees to service our game at all levels. Referees are not infallible. Mistakes will be made on the field, and subjective calls made in front of the VAR monitor, just as managers will pick the wrong team, goalkeepers concede soft goals and strikers miss from five yards out.'
The SFA said the Beaton situation was not an isolated incident and there are 'many examples of match officials being placed in harmful situations'. It added: 'We will not allow this to become the norm. We will not allow a situation where match officials require special provision to protect their children at school to be considered an occupational hazard. We will not allow a situation where staying at home with the front door locked and avoiding the hazards of public interaction becomes a coping strategy.'
