Men admit Campbell abuse chants

The four were banned from football grounds for three years

Four men have admitted indecent chanting aimed at Portsmouth defender Sol Campbell during a football match.

He was subjected to alleged homophobic and racist chants at a game with Tottenham Hotspur at Fratton Park, Portsmouth, in September.

Oliver Silvester, 28, Richard Gibbs, 35, Keith Stevens, 54, and Stuart Turner, 34, pleaded guilty to abusing the former England player.

Seven others, including three juveniles, have all pleaded not guilty.

Silvester, of High Street, Southampton; Gibbs, of Ormonde Road, Wokingham; Turner, of Queen Street, Telford; and Stevens, of Portland Close, Hailsham, East Sussex, were all fined £370, ordered to pay £120 costs and banned from football grounds for three years.

Portsmouth Magistrates Court heard that not all of the defendants sang all of the chants, but variations of them.

Those who pleaded not guilty are: Dean Nelson, 23, of Southbury Road, Enfield, London; Joe Turner, 18, of The Lindons, Langdon Hills, Basildon, Essex; Bradley Barnes, 35, of Malmesbury Park Road, Bournemouth, Dorset; and Ian Trow, 48, of Kingshill Drive, Deans Hanger, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.

They will stand trial on 13 May.

Magistrate Susan Waddle did not impose reporting restrictions on the two 15-year-old boys, stating that they should be treated as adults.

They are Michael Eleftheriou, of Winchmore Hill, London and Huseyin Mehmet, of Purley, Surrey.

A 13-year-old boy from near Milton Keynes cannot be named.