4 hours ago
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A man who sent abusive online messages to a Premier League footballer which included a monkey emoji and wishing death on his family has been sentenced.
Harry Brown, 25, from Barrow, targeted Fulham forward Rodrigo Muniz after he scored in both home and away matches against Liverpool in 2024 and 2025.
Brown sent messages saying "hope your family dies" followed by a monkey emoji and another message which called Muniz a "slave".
Brown previously admitted two malicious communications offences at Carlisle Magistrates' Court and has now been handed a three-year football banning order and ordered to undertake 150 hours of unpaid work.
Sentencing him, district judge Philip Holden told Brown: "Rodrigo Muniz Carvalho is entitled to go about his lawful business without being threatened, racially abused and have his own family threatened by you.
"What you did was to engage in tribal behaviour of a racist nature."
The court previously heard that after Muniz scored against Liverpool during the 2-2 draw at Anfield on 14 December 2024, Brown referred to Muniz as a "slave" and said he hoped the Brazilian's family "gets hurt".
Then, after Fulham beat Liverpool 3-2 in the return fixture on 6 April, Brown, of Maple Street, sent another abusive message which included a monkey emoji.
Muniz screenshotted the offensive content after the second lot of abuse, reported it to his club and police were alerted.
"The defendant was then arrested at his place of work, which was Barrow Magistrates' Court," prosecutor Diane Jackson told the court on Thursday.
At the time, Brown worked for firm GEOAmey in the Barrow court cells.
In a statement, Mr Muniz said: "I was disgusted and offended by these comments and it is my opinion that the monkey emoji and using the term 'slave' was sent as a racial insult due to my heritage.
"Also wishing for my family to be hurt or die is grossly offensive."
Solicitor Trystan Roberts, mitigating, said Brown was "utterly and thoroughly ashamed of himself".
"He has made a very, very foolish error, on two occasions, when his temper, his anger and emotions got the better of him.
"He has hit out in a way which is, in hindsight, was disgusting."
In a statement, Fulham said: "Today's sentencing sends a clear and strong message that abuse in any form will not be tolerated.
"This also serves as a reminder that online abusers could face serious consequences and that there is no protection of hiding place for people posting hateful comments."
Ch Insp Kim Brown of Cumbria Police said the force "condemned the vile abuse", adding that Brown "cannot hide behind a social media profile to post these despicable comments".
