Man receives suspended sentence for racist online messages to England footballer Jess Carter
A 60-year-old man has been handed a suspended jail sentence for posting racist and misogynistic abuse on TikTok targeting England footballer Jess Carter during last summer’s European Championship.
Nigel Dewale, from Great Harwood in Lancashire, was sentenced at Blackburn Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to sending a grossly offensive message via a public communications network. He received a six-week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months, along with a four-year football banning order, a three-month curfew, and a community order of 10 rehabilitation days. The court also heard Dewale admitted to possession of an offensive weapon, an extendable baton, found during a search of his home.
The Offensive Messages
The prosecution detailed that Dewale, reportedly “in drink” at home, used the TikTok username ‘Bogeyman’ to send two posts in response to a news article about police investigations into previous racial abuse directed at Carter. His messages, sent during the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 tournament, contained explicitly racist language and derogatory comments about women’s football.
In one post he wrote: “Women’s football is diabolical. Should not be on national TV. Brownies are racist murders (sic), fiddlers and groomers. End ov (sic).” A second message stated: “Racist card again. Always brownies faking. This women’s football should not be on TV. Waste of airtime.” The term “brownies” is understood to be a racist slur.
Impact on Jess Carter
The abuse had a significant impact on the 28-year-old defender, who plays for US side Gotham FC. Prosecutor Graeme Tindall told the court the messages left Carter feeling “anxious and genuinely scared,” and made her unwilling to leave her hotel during the tournament in Switzerland. Carter had announced during the Euros that she was stepping back from managing her social media accounts to safeguard her mental health, and has since spoken publicly about the stereotypes facing Black women in Britain.
Despite the abuse, Carter remained a key member of the Lionesses squad that successfully defended their European title in Switzerland. The tournament, held from 2 to 27 July 2025, set a new attendance record with over 657,000 spectators. England defeated Spain in a final decided by a penalty shootout—the first time a European title had been defended since Germany in 2013, and the first decided on penalties since the inaugural tournament in 1984.
The investigation was led by the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) in July 2025. Cheshire Constabulary Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for football policing, stated that the case showed online actions have consequences and perpetrators cannot hide behind social media profiles.
The Football Association welcomed the court’s decision, stating that “online misogyny and racism have gone unchecked by big tech for too long.”
