Rugby fan cleared of racial abuse

A man has been cleared of racially aggravated harassment of former England rugby union star Ugo Monye.

South African Angus Beukes was cleared by magistrates in Exeter after they decided the prosecution had not proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.

The court heard the 32-year-old had used the slur to his partner when leaving the Sandy Park ground in November 2023.

Independent witnesses backed this up and contradicted Mr Monye's claim that the defendant had used the word multiple times.

Mr Beukes, from Cape Town, claimed: "I was not shouting it out.

"I told her: '[N-word], put your phone away.' That was my words [sic] to her."

He also told the court: "I was a foreign national in the UK. In my country that word has no significant meaning to it."

He thanked magistrates as they recorded their verdict that he did not intend to be threatening, abusive or disorderly, or was aware that he may be.

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