Stan Collymore calls in cops after shocking racist Twitter abuse
Stan Collymore has called in police after he was sent a barrage of racist abuse on Twitter. The commentator and former footballer was repeatedly labelled with vile racist terms by several users.
Collymore, from Cannock, retweeted the messages to his 479,000 followers, many of whom reacted with horror.
One user told Collymore to 'kill yourself you f*****g n****r'.
Another posted a mock-up of a Sky News report suggesting Collymore had killed himself.
In a message to his followers shortly before midnight, Collymore said police were investigating.
He added: "I'm glad so many find this funny. All teenagers, visible profile pics and location. Not a care in the world. There are mixed race/black/Asian kids on here believing that using hate speech gives them (a) free pass. You'll soon find differently."
Support came from England goalkeeper John Ruddy, who said:
The anti-racist Kick it Out campaign also said it was reporting messages received by the 42-year-old. In a statement it said:
Last year a law student who sent Collymore a series of racist tweets was given a community order in court.
Staffordshire Police confirmed they are investigating.
Chief Inspector Carl Ratcliffe, head of Cannock Chase Police, said they had already secured copies of the messages and would be undertaking a detailed investigation, working closely with colleagues at the Crown Prosecution Service.
He said: "It's everyone's role to treat each other with respect.
"It's our role to investigate complaints of criminal behaviour and where appropriate take action.
"When we become aware of complaints about potential criminal offences, we gather evidence to allow the CPS to make a decision on whether to charge or not."
