Football fan took his own life after feeling shamed from making racist gesture
Chester FC fan Andrew Paul Hewitt, 52, 'couldn't face the embarrassment' of a potential club ban or jail term, an inquest heard, and was found hanging at his home in Flint, North Wales, on December 1.
The day before, he had attended an away fixture at National League rivals Warrington Town.
After the match, a video emerged of a 'small group' of Chester fans making racist gestures, including a 'monkey gesture', towards a Warrington player, a hearing at County Hall, Ruthin was told.
Chester FC quickly released a statement, condemning the video, and later said an individual had been identified and police would take appropriate action.
'Racism has no place in sport or society, and anyone found to have displayed such behaviour will receive an indefinite ban from attending matches,' they said.
In a statement, Mr Hewitt's brother Alan said the father-of-one's behaviour at the match was 'completely out of character': 'Andrew got caught up in the moment.'
He said he believed his brother read the club statement, together with comments online, and thought he would either face a lengthy ban or a custodial sentence – both of which he could 'not face the embarrassment of.'
A note was found at Mr Hewitt's home which read: 'I f***** up. Sorry.'
A number of family members attended the brief hearing at County Hall, where Mr Hewitt was described as a 'hard working individual' who had followed Chester FC home and away for 40 years, and was in a long-term relationship with Hayley Williams.
HM Coroner for North Wales John Gittins expressed his condolences as he told the family: 'It is a very tragic loss in very extreme, difficult circumstances.
'I can see this is a gentleman who is very much missed, and the hole he has left is very difficult to fill in all of your lives.'
Samaritans are here to listen, day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or visit samaritans.org for more information.
Cheshire Police said in a statement: 'During the match between Warrington FC and Chester FC on Saturday, November 30, police were made aware of a racially aggravated public order offence. More Trending
'The suspect was identified and was due to be spoken to at a later date about the matter.
'Sadly, the man was reported to have died at an address in Flint on Sunday, December 1. There are no suspicious circumstances, and a file will be prepared for the coroner.'
A similar incident in 2021 caused Newcastle FC to launch an investigation into an alleged racist gesture made by a fan towards a Tottenham player.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: I visited the Amazon returns warehouse where everything is discounted
MORE: The UK's 'friendliest' city offers 2,000 years of history to explore
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
a day ago
- Reuters
D-backs 2B Ketel Marte apologizes for missing games
August 19 - Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte, reportedly under fire from within and without the Diamondbacks' clubhouse, issued an apology on Monday for missing games this year. Marte has sat out 33 games throughout the season, including the first three after the All-Star break. While Marte was participating for the National League team in the Midsummer Classic at Atlanta, his home in the Phoenix area was burglarized. Marte didn't return to the team until the second day after play resumed, and he didn't play the next day either. According to USA Today, the Diamondbacks put him on the unpaid restricted list for the first two of those games. "Initially the intent was to come back on (for the first game) and be with his team and practice," Marte said through interpreter Rolando Valles. "He wants to publicly apologize for not backing that up. I mean, he obviously knew the circumstance of his situation. He got frustrated and was in a bad spot. He truly wants to apologize for his teammates and everybody else." Marte chalked up his other absences to health issues. "He's had injuries in the past and that is a plan that is being integrated within the coaching staff and himself in order to keep him on the field ..." Valles said. "It's intended to be for recovery. In those days (off), he does everything that he needs to do in order to get himself back on the field and help the team win." Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said of Marte's apology, "I'm proud of him for doing that. That's not easy for him to do, and I know he showed some vulnerability. I'm really, really proud of him for digging in the way he did." After going 1-for-5 in the Diamondbacks' 3-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Monday in Phoenix, Marte is batting .295 with a .395 on-base percentage, a .553 slugging percentage, 23 homers and 56 RBIs in 93 games. The three-time All-Star has a career .282/.352/.474 batting line with 166 homers and 571 RBIs in 11 major league seasons -- 2015 and '16 with the Seattle Mariners and the past nine years with Arizona. --Field Level Media
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Telegraph
Lucy Letby ‘raised alarm over poor care of babies in her hospital'
Lucy Letby raised the alarm over the poor care of babies at the hospital in which she worked, new documents show. The former neo-natal nurse, 35, was convicted of the murder of seven children and the attempted murder of seven more at the Countess of Chester Hospital in a prosecution that has come under intense scrutiny. Letby has since appointed a new legal team who have submitted an application on her behalf to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, claiming that she is the victim of a miscarriage of justice. Mark McDonald, Letby's barrister, said that she was a 'hard working nurse who loved her job' and would never harm a child. He added: '[That] is why she would not let any fault pass. This was a neonatal unit in crisis and she consistently formally reported issues. 'She was a whistleblower – but instead of listening to her they went for her instead.' Mr McDonald said Letby was targeted for raising concerns, and an expert international panel recently concluded that no murders were committed and instead that the babies collapsed or died because of either poor care or natural causes. Lawyers for the families of Letby's victims previously rubbished the panel's findings as 'full of analytical holes' and 'a rehash' of the defence case heard at trial. The documents that reveal Letby's complaints were first reported by The Mail on Sunday. The records – known as Datix Admin and Management Forms – cover a number of medical emergencies in the unit in 2015 and 2016. The group that investigated Letby's complaints included Dr Stephen Brearey, who was one of two doctors who would later raise questions about whether she was 'purposely harming babies'. Lack of resources On June 30 2016, Letby used the system to report an incident a week earlier when a baby had suffered a 'sudden acute collapse requiring resuscitation', only for staff dealing with the emergency to find that the sodium bicarbonate infusion required to deal with the crisis was not available. Dr Brearey's investigating group recommended new measures to 'ensure adequate stock levels in future'. Letby filed a second report about another baby on the ward who had collapsed three hours after the first incident, saying that 'resources were not available on unit' to deal with the emergency. According to the Mail on Sunday, Dr Brearey later amended the incident form to state that the medical resources mentioned were not necessary to deal with the incident and in any case were not 'routinely kept on the unit' – but then conceded that because of 'a recent increase in usage' delivery would be arranged. Another report by Letby in June 2016 identified failures by doctors over the administration of intravenous medication. Dr Brearey's group concluded that nurses should check the equipment 'on an hourly basis' and that Dr Brearey would 'update new doctors at induction'. At Dr Brearey's request, Letby was removed from clinical duties the following month. Other reports by Letby included the 'unexpected death' of a baby in August 2015. However, it was concluded that 'neonatal care was appropriate... it is unlikely any changes in management would have prevented this sad outcome'. She also recorded the deterioration of an infant after ventilation records were not recorded for a 12-hour period and a 'chest drain complication' resulting from a lack of needles on the ward. Letby's case is now being considered by the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which is expected to report back before Christmas.
The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
Lucy Letby ‘raised alarm about care of babies at hospital,' bombshell new docs reveal as barrister raises ‘new hope'
LUCY Letby repeatedly raised the alarm about the poor care of babies in the hospital where she worked, it is claimed. The nurse was last year convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven more at Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. 6 6 6 However, new bombshell documents allegedly reveal she had formally highlighted apparent failures of care in the neonatal unit shortly before she was removed from her duties. It comes as her barrister Mark McDonald says Letby has got "new hope" of eventually being acquitted. He has sensationally claimed senior medics targeted his client in revenge for her whistleblowing. He told the Daily Mail: "Lucy was a hard working, experienced nurse who loved her job and would never harm any child which is why she would not let any fault pass. "This was a neonatal unit in crisis and she consistently formally reported issues. "She was a whistleblower – but instead of listening to her they went for her instead." Calls have continued to grow in recent months for a potential re-trial - with many experts claiming the ex-nurse was a victim of a miscarriage of justice. These have ramped up in recent weeks following ITV 's Lucy Letby: Beyond Reasonable Doubt? and a BBC Panorama episode which both explored potential flaws in the case against Letby. The juries at her two trials reached their verdicts despite the absence of any forensic or CCTV evidence and lack of convincing motive. A panel of 14 international experts said earlier this year her convictions were "unsafe" - and that the babies collapsed or died due to either poor health or natural causes. Lucy Letby seen partying at pal's wedding while on bail for murdering seven babies in shock unseen photos Now internal management forms at the hospital show how she drew attention to apparent issues in her neonatal unit. Letby was removed from duties at the request of a senior doctor before a police investigation was launched and she was arrested in 2018. The Datix Admin and Management Forms cover multiple medical emergencies in the unit in 2015 and 2016. A group then investigated Letby's complaints - which included Dr Stephen Breary, who was one of two doctors who would later raise questions about whether she was "purposely harming babies". She reported an incident on June 30 2016 from the previous week when a baby suffered a "sudden acute collapse requiring resuscitation" with staff finding that the sodium bicarbonate infusion required to deal with the crisis not available, reports the Mail. The investigating group recommended new measures to ensure levels of stock were adequate. However, Dr Breary later amended the report to state the resources Letby mentioned were not necessary to deal with the incident and not "routinely kept on the unit". Letby filed another complaint another report, also in June 2016, in relation to intravenous medication - with Dr Breary's group concluding nurses should check equipment "on an hourly basis" and that Dr Breary himself would "update new doctors at induction". At his request, Letby was then removed from her duties. An earlier report from the nurse was made about the unexpected death of a baby in August 2015, which it was concluded "neonatal care was appropriate... it is unlikely any changes in management would have prevented this sad outcome". Speaking to The Times, Mr McDonald said he visits Letby once a week or every two weeks and she is "in a very different place today than what she was 12 months ago". He said she was left a "broken person" after her trials, which were followed by two failed appeals to the Court of a Appeal. "Today, after everything that has happened in the last 12 months, she's got new hope," he said. Earlier this year, Mr McDonald and his team - which took over to represent Letby following her convictions - submitted an appeal to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), an independent body that assesses potential miscarriages of justice. Any such appeal would means Mr McDonald having to submit new evidence, which could include Letby's formal complaints. The Thirlwall Inquiry, which explored events at the hospital surrounding the baby deaths, is due to release its full findings early next year. A spokesman at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: "Due to the Thirlwall Inquiry and the ongoing police investigations, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time." 6 6 6
