Ex-England footballer Paul Gascoigne has pleaded guilty to racially aggravated abuse after a "joke" he told during a show.
Gascoigne, 49, made the comment during An Evening With Gazza in Wolverhampton on 30 November 2015.
At Dudley Magistrates' Court, the ex-player, who lives in Dorset, admitted using "threatening or abusive words or behaviour".
He admitted the offence ahead of a trial which was to start on Monday.
On his way into court Gascoigne stopped to sign autographs, including on a man's chest.
Gascoigne, whose career included spells at Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Rangers, made the comment to a black security guard at Wolverhampton Civic Hall. He said he couldn’t tell if the black security guard who was standing in a darkened corner of the stage was ‘smiling or not’.
Witnesses reported the ‘joke’ was met with an audible gasp by the audience.
Neither the victim nor the complainant has been identified.
In April, Gascoigne insisted that he was ‘back to his best’ in his struggle with alcohol addiction. In March he had been spotted with a bottle of gin being escorted by police officers.
Explore Similar Stories
No comments:
Post a Comment