Burnley student charged with racially abusing Stan Collymore

Northumbria Police said that Joshua Cryer, who comes from Burnley, was accused of a racial public order offence and a further public order offence.

Cryer, who studies law at Newcastle University and lives in the upmarket Jesmond area of the city, allegedly posted abusive messages to the former England international on Twitter around midnight on Friday.

Collymore (40) who played for Liverpool, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest during his career, re-tweeted the messages to followers on the social networking site and reported the alleged abuse to Staffordshire Police.

The messages have since been taken down.

Officers from Northumbria Police launched an investigation into the alleged abuse over the weekend after information was passed on by police in Staffordshire where talkSPORT pundit Collymore lives.

The 21-year-old student was arrested on Saturday and later charged with a section 5 racial public order offence and a section 5 public order offence.

A spokesman for Newcastle University confirmed one of its students had been charged with the offences, however said the 21-year-old had not been thrown off the course.

A statement read: “Newcastle University does not tolerate any form of racist behaviour by any of its staff or students and we have strict disciplinary procedures in place.”

He will appear at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court on Monday, January 23rd.