Man who sent racist social media message to footballer banned from all games

Harry Dunbar, 20, from Fareham, Hampshire, sent racial slurs via Instagram to Christopher Wreh, following an FA Cup match between Tamworth and Tottenham Hotspur on January 12.
When interviewed by police, Dunbar admitted sending the message because he had lost a bet, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said.
Police said Wreh had come on as a substitute for Tamworth in the game.
When he later checked his Instagram, he found he had received a message from an account he did not know called 'Dunztagram'.
Shocked, he posted a screenshot of the message including the username and then shared it on his social media.
'After an amazing day today, this is the last thing I expected to see when I opened Instagram,' he wrote in the post.
'Nevertheless, thank you for all the support today. Fans were unreal.'
This post was viewed more than 1.7 million times, and Wreh was contacted and sent personal messages by others who identified the account holder as Dunbar, who was living in Hampshire at the time.
Racism doesn't belong in football stadiums or anywhere else in society Superintendent Adrian Hall
Wreh shared this with the dedicated football officer (DFO) for Tamworth at Staffordshire Police, who then passed this on to the UK Football Policing Unit and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary's dedicated Football Unit.
Dunbar, in Whiteley, was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated malicious communications and his phone was seized.
Although the Instagram account had been removed, it was identified that he was the owner of the 'Dunztagram' account'.
In interview he then admitted sending the message because he had lost a bet.
Dunbar was sentenced at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, where he was handed a three-year football banning order, a 12-month community order of 200 hours unpaid work, and 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
Superintendent Adrian Hall, head of the operations unit for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, said: 'Just because Christopher Wreh was a footballer, Dunbar decided he had the right to send him a tirade of racist insults.
'Nobody should ever be subjected to such vile and disgusting abuse, regardless of what they do for a living.
'I am absolutely appalled by the racist language used by Dunbar, but immensely thankful to Christopher Wreh for his bravery in standing up to this horrible abuse and assisting the police investigation.
'Thanks to Christopher, this man will not have the privilege of going to football matches and that is an important result from this case, as racism doesn't belong in football stadiums or anywhere else in society.'
The Football Banning Order means Dunbar, of John Bunyan Close, is banned from every football ground in the country and unable to travel abroad when international games are happening for a period of three years.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Daily Mirror

2 hours ago

• Daily Mirror

Love Island's Jacques O'Neill posts snap from hospital amid worrying 'setback'

Jacques O'Neill has opened up from a hospital bed and said he found himself in a 'dark place' after Love Island but that 'every setback' has taught him 'something valuable' Gemma Owen's ex Jacques O'Neill has opened up about his dream of being back in the rugby league while he was sitting in a hospital bed, three years after he followed Gemma into the Love Island villa. Jacques told his followers that, after going on Love Island, he found himself in a 'dark place' but that 'every setback' has taught him 'something valuable'. Jacques shared a photo of himself from the hospital bed with a smile on his face and his thumb up. He reflected on his life in a lengthy caption, as he wrote: "Operation done.. Just as I was starting to get my confidence back and enjoy rugby league again, it's taken away, but that's life." ‌ The former Love Island star admitted that he has been 'stupidly' chasing a life that wasn't the right fit for him, but that he is getting back on track. ‌ Jacques said: "Four years I stupidly had out the game, being an idiot chasing a life that wasn't for me. The result of that was that I ended up in a pretty dark place and losing myself.' The 26-year-old continued: "I was putting off returning to play because of the comments from others saying I had no chance to play again, saying \he's had too long out' etc, comments about where I was at mentally & physically. "The truth is, I doubted myself too. At first I didn't think I would have ever been able to play again the state I got myself in to. "I remember the first couple of months back driving home from training questioning myself if I still had it in me or not but as soon as I got a good team behind me, got rid of all distractions my mindset started to change.' He continued: "Even though my first season back hasn't gone to plan, I'm grateful for the life lessons I've had the last few years. Every setback has taught me something valuable. It's built me up. Not just as a player, but as a person. I'll be back hungrier than ever." ‌ Although Jacques entered the villa after his ex-girlfriend Gemma Owen, the pair had no desire to rekindle their romance, and Jacques coupled up with Paige Thorne. Jacques then decided to call it quits on the villa life after Paige started getting to know bombshell Adam Collard. It was an emotional goodbye, and the islanders were sad to see him go, even Luca Bish, who was coupled up with Gemma at the time. Jacques, who boasts 1.1 million followers on Instagram, regularly keeps his followers up to date on what he is up to, including going on holiday, nights out and workouts.

Scottish Sun

3 hours ago

• Scottish Sun

Gemma Owen's ex Jacques O'Neill posts snap from hospital bed amid ‘setback' three years after Love Island stint

The 26-year-old rugby player has been working hard to claw back his career after taking time out to follow Gemma onto reality TV major op Gemma Owen's ex Jacques O'Neill posts snap from hospital bed amid 'setback' three years after Love Island stint Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) JACQUES O'Neill has posted from a hospital bed after undergoing an operation following a rugby-related injury. Gemma Owen's ex took the opportunity to open up about his dream of being back in the rugby league after - four years after he went on Love Island. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 Jacques O'Neill told fans his operation was successful Credit: Instagram / jacques9oneill_ 4 The Love Island star has been working hard to regain his rugby career Credit: ITV However, he has since been ruled out playing for the forseeable after being forced to go under the knife. He wrote on Instagram: "Operation done.. Just as I was starting to get my confidence back and enjoy rugby league again, it's taken away, but that's life." Admitting regrets over quitting rugby to follow his ex into Love Island in 2022, Jacques said: "Four years I stupidly had out the game, being an idiot chasing a life that wasn't for me. "The result of that was that I ended up in a pretty dark place and losing myself. "I was putting off returning to play because of the comments from others saying I had no chance to play again, saying he's had too long out' etc, comments about where I was at mentally & physically. "The truth is, I doubted myself too. At first I didn't think I would have ever been able to play again the state I got myself in to. "I remember the first couple of months back driving home from training questioning myself if I still had it in me or not but as soon as I got a good team behind me, got rid of all distractions my mindset started to change. "Even though my first season back hasn't gone to plan, I'm grateful for the life lessons I've had the last few years. "Every setback has taught me something valuable. It's built me up. Not just as a player, but as a person "I'll be back hungrier than ever." Love Island's Jacques O'Neill parties with Stephen Bear's ex girlfriend in Ibiza after confirming romance Jacques, 26, coupled up with Paige Thorne on the show but quit on day 37 after she started getting to know bombshell Adam Collard. He admitted struggling with his mental health and in an interview with The Sun when out of the villa, opene up about his diagnosis with ADHD, which he says impacted his experience on the show. Paige ended up coupling up with Adam, but they didn't last long on the outside. Jacques is currently believed to be dating Norwegian influencer Isabel Raad after being linked to Stephen Bear's ex Ellie O'Donnell. 4 Jacques' ex Gemma Owen who he dated before Love Island Credit: Instagram

Daily Mirror

4 hours ago

• Daily Mirror

Liverpool get boost in Guehi transfer chase with Crystal Palace talks imminent

Liverpool have quickly emerged as favourites in the race to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace this summer and the Premier League champions could now be in a position to act Liverpool are in a position to ramp up their interest in Marc Guehi after agreeing a £35million deal to sell their homegrown defender, Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen. The Reds have emerged as serious contenders in the race for Guehi's signature with the 24-year-old now approaching the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park. But there are other clubs lurking, too, including Arsenal and Newcastle, who saw substantial bids for the England star rejected last summer. ‌ It was outlined earlier this week that Liverpool were unlikely to pursue anything with Guehi until a deal for Quansah was done. ‌ And following a prompt resolution to negotiations with Leverkusen over a third transfer between the two clubs this summer, the Premier League champions are now, theoretically, in a position to make their move for Guehi. Mirror Football revealed on Friday that Crystal Palace are braced for an imminent approach for their star defender from their domestic rivals. But it's understood that Liverpool will not be held to ransom over a price for Guehi, who was valued in excess of £60million by the FA Cup holders last summer when Newcastle came calling. The Reds have already spent well over £100m this summer after completing deals for Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz, who could end up costing a British record £116m. And with a further £40m swoop mooted for Milos Kerkez, the Bournemouth left-back, it's easy to see why Liverpool will not commit to big money for a player who could be available for free next summer. ‌ Join the debate! Would Guehi be a good signing for Liverpool? Let us know here It remains to be seen if Palace will play hardball and risk losing Guehi for nothing in 12 months time, particularly with the level of interest in him. Guehi is said to be keen on the idea of swapping Selhurst Park to Anfield but is also willing to see out the final year of his contract in south London if the move he desires fails to materialises over the coming weeks. Palace are already in discussions over a deal for Sporting Lisbon's highly-rated defender, Ousmane Diomande, who would, in theory, be Guehi's replacement should he be sold. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.