Man ‘carried out lowest racial taunt’ by throwing banana at player

A soccer fan, whose brother once got a youth trial with Manchester United, was told by a judge he had carried out the lowest form of racial taunt when throwing a banana at a black player.

Man ‘carried out lowest racial taunt’ by throwing banana at player

The incident occurred during a friendly soccer game at Thomond Park last August between Limerick FC and Manchester City.

Judge Eugene O’Kelly told Kelvin Reynolds: “Save for [Reynolds] acting like a monkey; throwing a banana was the lowest taunt.”

The incident caused an international storm and the intended target, French international Gaël Clichy, tweeted at the time: “How sad”.

Reynolds, aged 20, of Pinewood Avenue, Caherdavin, Co Limerick, admitted to a breach of public order in throwing the banana and with assaulting Sgt Caimin Treacy, during the game. The assault involved hurtling a plastic bottle.

The court was told Reynolds was a Manchester United fan and his younger brother had been given a youth trial with the club.

Sgt Donal Cronin told the court Reynolds had 65 previous convictions.

Sarah Ryan, solicitor for Reynolds, said the incident had received international media coverage. Reynolds got drunk at the game. While he threw the banana, her client did not mean it in a racial way and was sorry if Clichy saw it like that.

Reynolds, in evidence, said he was sorry, to the people of Limerick, over his stupid drunken act.

He read about the matter in the newspapers and wanted the matter over and done with. The father-of-one said: “I understand the upset. It caused a big incident for Limerick at the time.”

He had also apologised to Sgt Treacy.

Judge O’Kelly said it would be very hard for Mr Clichy to interpret the incident in any other way than being racially motivated.

Recalling that Reynolds took the banana from a child during the game, he said it seemed an extraordinary coincidence he did not take an apple or an orange.

Judge O’Kelly said he was in no doubt but Reynolds knew what he was doing when he threw the banana at a player who was not caucasian and it was racially motivated.

The city’s reputation, he said, had been tarnished for years and years by incessant gang warfare which led it to getting the nickname “Stab City”. “Yet even in the darkest days there was one beacon of light: there was a warm welcome to visiting sports teams. I have no doubt Manchester City came with the same expectation that they would receive a full and warm welcome and they must have been shocked at what was the lowest form of racial taunting,” said the judge.

It was a great coup for Limerick to have got Manchester City to visit and play at Thomond Park and Reynolds, by his action, did extraordinary damage to its reputation, the judge said.

Judge O’Kelly said that if he sent Reynolds to prison, other prisoners would exact their own punishment for having sullied and mired the city’s image. He imposed two sentences totalling five months for the public order and assault offences, suspending them in lieu of Reynolds carrying out 240 hours community service.

Judge O’Kelly asked for the probation service to arrange for the community work to be carried out with the immigrant community and Doras, which works with immigrants in Limerick. He adjourned the matter to May 22 to finalise the community service order.

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