A 19-year-old man has been charged with a data protection offence after personal information about Scottish referee John Beaton was leaked online, Police Scotland have confirmed. The leak followed a penalty controversy during Celtic's 3-2 win over Motherwell on Wednesday evening, which saw Beaton and his family placed under police surveillance.
The incident occurred after Beaton awarded a stoppage-time penalty for handball against Motherwell midfielder Sam Nicholson. Celtic scored the resulting spot-kick, narrowing the gap on William Hill Premiership leaders Hearts to one point ahead of the final match of the season, where the two sides are set to meet.
The Scottish Football Association (SFA) issued a strong statement condemning the leak and linking it to a broader culture of hostility towards officials. The SFA said: 'Such vigilantism, motivated by decisions perceived to be right or wrong on a field of play, is a scourge on our national game.' The governing body also announced plans to strengthen rules to better protect match officials.
The SFA statement criticised media pundits, supporters, clubs and managers for contributing to an environment that 'puts the safety of our staff and match officials in jeopardy'. It added: 'This is the consequence of a hysterical media narrative, fuelled by irresponsible knee-jerk post-match media interviews, commentary and official social media posts.'
This is not the first time Beaton has faced such issues. In 2018, three men were sentenced for offences related to abusive phone messages sent to the referee after a Rangers win over Celtic, during which Beaton's performance came under scrutiny for not penalising Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos.
