UK police probe racist tweet from Alan Sugar

Alan Sugar has been investigated by police after he was accused a posting a racist message on Twitter.

The tycoon posted a photograph of a crying Chinese child and joked: “The kid in the middle is upset because he was told off for leaving the production line of the iPhone 5.”

Shop owner Nichola Szeto, from Liverpool, was offended by the reference to the Asian factories where the mobiles are produced and sent a complaint about the “racist tweets” to the Metropolitan Police.

She was then contacted by Merseyside Police and went to a Liverpool police station to make a statement.

Lord Sugar’s message was investigated by the force’s specialist hate crime investigation team, who decided that it should be classed as a “hate incident” although no crime had taken place.

Ms Szeto told the Mail on Sunday: “I told the police I just wanted to let him know it was wrong.

“They said they take this very seriously, but I said ’just leave it, I’ve complained now’. But they phoned back, so I went to see them.”

A police spokesman said: “Merseyside Police can confirm officers received a complaint in relation to the tweet sent on the evening of Sunday September 30.

“The communication has been examined by the force’s specialist hate crime investigation team and at this time it has been recorded as a hate incident and no criminal offences have taken place.

“Officers from the specialist team will be contacting the person who made the initial complaint to discuss this.”