Man, 59, arrested after racist and abusive messages sent to England football star Jess Carter

Officers investigating racist and abusive messages sent to England defender Jess Carter say they have arrested a man.

Police say a 59-year-old man from Great Harwood, Lancashire, has been arrested on suspicion of malicious communications in relation to some of the messages.

He has since been released under investigation while enquiries continue.

Carter spoke out about receiving racist abuse online while playing in the UEFA Women's Euros - which England went on to win - last month.

Cheshire Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the National Police Chief Council (NPCC) lead for football policing, said: "The messages directed towards Jess Carter were appalling and I would like to commend her for standing up to this abuse and assisting with our investigation.

"Nobody should be subjected to such disgusting abuse, and I expect that today's arrest will be the first of many over the coming months.

"We want to make it clear that racist abuse of this nature will not be tolerated.

"Everyone is responsible for what they do and say, and we want to ensure offenders cannot hide behind a social media profile to post vile comments."

In an Instagram post shared two days before the Lionesses took on Italy in the semi-final, Carter said she was stepping back from social media to "protect myself in a bid to keep my focus on helping the team anyway I can".

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