Coventry City football club safety officer fined for racist remark at Birmingham City’s St Andrew’s stadium

A football club safety officer has been fined after using a racially offensive word when she was asked to investigate a complaint reported by an ethnic minority steward at Birmingham’s St Andrew’s stadium.

Magistrates sitting in Birmingham were told Nicola Pollard, who had worked for Coventry City for 24 years, was charged with causing racially aggravated distress after telling control room staff she would “go and deal with that ****.”

Pollard admitted using what her own lawyer described as the “filthy, horrid” four-letter word, but pleaded not guilty on the grounds it was not likely to cause distress during a Coventry v Middlesbrough match in March last year.

But magistrates deliberated for less than 30 minutes before convicting the 51-year-old, who is from Radford, Coventry.

Passing sentence on Tuesday, magistrates fined Pollard £345 and also ordered her to pay £500 in costs and a £35 surcharge, after ruling that her actions had caused harassment, alarm or distress.

The court was told three other people were in the control box, including a police constable and a Birmingham City employee who said he was “astonished” when the racist word – which was not heard by the steward – was used.

The court heard the remark was made after Pollard was asked to investigate an allegation of racist and homophobic abuse made by a steward against a colleague during the evening fixture, which was held at St Andrew’s.

Pc Sean Cockerton, who heard the comment, told the magistrates: “I heard the word being said.

“I just turned to her and basically told her to get out of the control room.”

In her evidence to the bench, Pollard said she had worked as Coventry’s safety officer for around six years.

Saying she had “no explanation” for her use of the offending word, she conceded that she was ashamed of what she had said.

“As soon as I said it, I apologised,” she told her trial. “I don’t know why that came out of my mouth.”

Defence solicitor Mark Anderson said it was accepted Pollard had used a racially abusive word, but argued that although the use of it could never be justified “it did not automatically amount” to the offence she faced.

Following Pollard’s conviction, Mr Anderson said she had been suspended by Championship side Coventry and would now lose her employment.

“She is already having thoughts of having to sell her house and perhaps her car as well,” he told the court.

The Sky Blues would be required to remove Pollard, the club’s licensed safety officer, from her post under Football Association rules, Mr Anderson said.

Pollard, who the court was told also worked for Coventry-based rugby union club Wasps, earned around £18,000 last year.

Finding Pollard guilty, chairman of the bench Alison Fisher told her: “It’s not in dispute that you used an abusive word within the hearing of three people on the 2nd of March.

“It’s accepted you knew that word was an abusive word. You were embarrassed as soon as you said it.

“We have taken into account the descriptions given by the three gentlemen within hearing.

“All of them described being shocked, being astonished… disbelief really. At least one of them described being very uncomfortable.

“We believe that in their entirety all of these emotions and feelings constitute distress.”

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