A man faces prison for sending a racist tweet about Michael Obafemi as the player speaks in court of being left distressed.
The Swansea City striker has shared his distress at the impact that racism had on him and his family.
After Obafemi’s January loan switch to Championship outfit Burnley, he was the target of social media abuse.
Josh Phillips, 26 from Swansea, called Obafemi, who was born in Dublin to Nigerian parents, “the N word” on Twitter.
This led to an angry response from Swans supporters on the social networking site.
Swans striker Michael Obafemi speaks about distressing racist abuse as man in court https://t.co/9Fut5Zbq5v
— Swansea City Online (@SwanseaCityLive) March 10, 2023
Phillips, from Fern Street, Cwmbwrla got rid of the tweet this was still found by police who then arrested the male before being charged. Phillips has been warned that he may now be sentenced to jail.
Phillips pleaded guilty Friday to sending an offensive or indecent message online.
The defendant used the racial slur while Obafemi was finalising his loan move to Burnley.
Obafemi had scored 15 goals in 32 appearances during his Swans tenure. This included a goal against Cardiff in a 2-0 win.
Phillips subsequently deleted his Twitter account after being called out by other users after his photo was found and used by police for identification, which led to his arrest.
Officers found Phillips’s mobile phone and examined its contents. They also discovered details about the Twitter account and e-mails that indicated that the account was blocked for violating Twitter rules.
He also searched how to disable Twitter and looked for articles about racist abuse. Phillips, who was with a group of friends were out talking football when he got drunk and posted the comment to his Twitter account.
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In the aftermath of the incident, Swansea issued a statement expressing its disgust by the abuse. It said: “Swansea City is aware of disgusting racist abuse posted on social media in relation to Michael Obafemi’s loan move to Burnley. The club is sickened by the vile language used in the offending posts, and is working to identify those responsible and take the strongest possible action. The matter has been reported to South Wales Police, who are investigating. There is no place for racism or discrimination of any kind in society or football.”
Phillips’s solicitor Mark Davies told the court that his client was fully aware that he would not be attending any football games during a football ban order. He was warned that it could be imposed.
The case was adjourned to allow for the preparation of a pre-sentence rapport. Phillips will be sentenced on the 31st of March.
Judge Christopher James said: “It is clear that you have pleaded guilty to a very serious offence of its type. The fact I’m adjourning this case for a pre-sentence report should not be taken by you as any indication of sentence that will be imposed. All options remain open including immediate custody.”
Following the conclusion of the hearing, Matthew Henson of the CPS said: “Hate crime is truly abhorrent and has a significant detrimental impact on victims and the wider community.
“The CPS is committed to tackling hate crime in all its forms when cases pass our legal test, and has an enormous amount of concern for all victims of hate crime.”
A month ago, the club said: “Swansea City is aware of disgusting racist abuse posted on social media in relation to Michael Obafemi’s loan move to Burnley.
“The club is sickened by the vile language used in the offending posts, and is working to identify those responsible and take the strongest possible action.
“The matter has been reported to South Wales Police, who are investigating.
“There is no place for racism or discrimination of any kind in society or football.
“Those responsible do not represent Swansea City, or the values of our club and community.
“Ourselves and Burnley will offer Michael every support in this matter.”
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