A football hooligan has been fined and banned from attending matches for three years after hurling insults at former Birmingham City star Dwight Yorke.
David Ashcroft (22) waved two fingers in the air and launched a barrage of swear words at the striker during a match between Blackburn Rovers and Blues in November last year.
Ashcroft, an installation engineer from Leyland in Lancashire, was originally charged with a raciallyaggravated public order offence, but the racially aggravated elements were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service.
He pleaded guilty to a public order offence at Blackburn Magistrates Court and was given a three-year football banning order, fined £200 and told to pay £80 costs.
Ashcroft is the fifth man to have received a banning order following the incident at Ewood Park, Blackburn, on November 21.
Last year 35- year- old Shaun Baxter, 19-year-old Andrew Roberts and 20-yearold Brian Hargreaves, all from Blackburn, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated public order offences and were banned from football for five years.
Jason Perryman, (22), from Chorley, was banned for four years after admitting the same offence.
The incident happened about 15 minutes into the second half of the game, when Birmingham substitute Yorke, who has since moved to Australian A-League side Sydney FC, started warming up on the sidelines.
As the striker ran towards a section of the Blackburn fans, members of the crowd began making monkey sounds and gestures, and calling Yorke a "black bastard".
Ashcroft later handed himself into police and told them his behaviour had been " stupid" and "disgraceful" and was down to the fact he had been drinking before the match.
