Estate agent’s tweet now part of national racism investigation
Investigators looking into post-Euros final racism against players says arrest of agent Andrew Bone is first of four with others to follow.
A dedicated team of investigators working under the auspices of the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) has begun looking into online racism towards England players following their team’s defeat in the Euros final.
Their work has so far triggered the arrest of four people whose social media accounts posted racist comments following the match, including Savills employee Andrew Bone.
A post from his Twitter account called the players the N word and claimed the England stars had “ruined it for us”.
It has been reported that Bone, who is a 37-year-old agent working for Savills’ property management arm in Manchester, has been suspended from his job pending an investigation.
Twitter profile
Last week he claimed that his account had been hacked and that he was not responsible for the comment posted via his Twitter profile.
Greater Manchester Police have now confirmed that Bone, 37 was arrested after he voluntarily attended Cheadle Heath police station.
He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of an offence under Section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act.
Pictures have also been published showing three police officers entering his home in Manchester to search the property.
A statement by the National Police Chiefs Council says Bone is just one of the many people under investigation by the UKFPU operation and that he one of four so far arrested, with dozens of other cases also being looked at.
Chief Constable Mark Roberts (pictured), National Police Chiefs’ Council Football Policing Lead, said: “We are working very closely with social media platforms who are providing data we need to progress enquiries.
“If we identify that you are behind this crime, we will track you down and you will face the serious consequences of your shameful actions.”