A man from Lancashire has been handed a suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to racially abusing England football star Jess Carter with vile social media messages. Nigel Dewale, aged 60 and from Great Harwood, admitted to sending a grossly offensive communication via a public network, targeting Carter during the Lionesses' triumphant Euro 2025 campaign.
Court Outcome and Police Response
On Wednesday, Dewale was sentenced to six weeks in custody, suspended for 12 months, following his arrest in August 2025. The UK Football Policing Unit had launched an investigation in July after Carter received several malicious and hateful messages, which detectives traced to Dewale's home. Cheshire Police Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for football policing, strongly condemned the actions.
"Everyone is responsible for what they do and say, and posting a message on social media is no different," Roberts stated. "Dewale sent hateful and malicious messages thinking that he would be able to hide behind his account name. His comments were totally abhorrent, they caused emotional distress for Miss Carter and her family and I welcome the guilty plea today."
Impact on Jess Carter
Jess Carter, a 28-year-old defender who plays for Gotham FC in the United States, featured in all six of England's matches at the European Championship in Switzerland, helping the team secure victory over Spain on penalties. After lifting the trophy, Carter opened up about the abuse, revealing it had a significant emotional toll.
"A lot of stuff doesn't really bother me, so [it took a lot] for me to feel like I needed to speak up and for people to know about it," Carter explained. "I felt like I needed a bit of support and a bit of extra TLC from my team, that I don't usually need."
She emphasized that racism remains a persistent issue, stating: "I'm not saying it's going to make a big difference or make a change, but hopefully make people aware that it's not okay. Racism is still going on, and we're just here to do our job to the best of our ability and hopefully bring success back to England. That's what we all try and do every time we put the badge on."
Broader Implications and Warnings
Police described the messages as "disgusting and appalling," and Chief Constable Roberts issued a stern warning about online behaviour. "We have been clear that hate crime online or in person is not acceptable and as we have shown in this case you cannot hide behind a social media profile to post vile comments and spread hate," he said.
Carter also addressed the distinction between criticism of performance and racial abuse, noting: "I understand everyone has got their own opinions on how we play - trust me, no one is more disappointed in some of my performances than I am - but the colour of my skin has nothing to do with that." This case highlights ongoing challenges in combating racism in sports and the legal consequences for such offences.
