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Hate song convictions

by msecadm4921

Two men from East Lothian have become the first football supporters in Scotland to be convicted and sentenced under the SNP’s recently introduced and controversial ‘offensive behaviour at football’ legislation.

Andrew Whitson (28) and Paul Swan (39) were returning from the Ayr United v Hibernian Scottish Cup quarter final match on Saturday 10 March 2012. As they travelled on the 18:13 service from Ayr to Glasgow Central they were observed by British Transport Police (BTP) officers chanting and singing songs of a racially derogative nature and arrested.

Whitson of Kitchener Crescent, Longniddry and Swan of Coronation Place in Tranent pled guilty when they appeared from custody at Glasgow Sheriff Court yesterday (12 March 2012). Whitson was fined £180 and had a one-year football banning order imposed. Swan also had a one-year football banning order imposed and was fined £200. They were charged with offences under the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Act (2012) which only came into force on 1 March 2012.

Chief Superintendent Ellie Bird, area commander for the Scotland area of BTP said after the case: “These convictions and sentences send out a clear message that this sort of behaviour and criminality has no place in society and certainly not on our rail network.”

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