Student denies Collymore race abuse (From Bridgwater Mercury)

Student denies Collymore race abuse

11:17am Tuesday 14th February 2012 in National News © Press Association 2011

A law student has denied that he racially abused ex-footballer Stan Collymore on Twitter.

Joshua Cryer, 21, of Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne, faced a public order charge following a complaint from the football pundit.

Cryer, a student at Newcastle University, appeared before city magistrates to deny sending messages that were "grossly offensive".

He gave his address to the court as Coal Clough Lane, Burnley, Lancashire.

The case will be heard on April 2 and is expected to last two hours. The defence called for one specific witness, unnamed in court, to attend on that day.

Cryer was arrested last month after the former England striker reported the alleged online abuse to Staffordshire Police and they passed the matter to their Northumbria Police counterparts.

Collymore, 40, originally from Cannock, Staffordshire, played for a string of top clubs, including Liverpool, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.

He works as a broadcaster for talkSPORT, campaigns against racism and is a supporter of the Depression Alliance charity.