Police have detained a 30-year-old Ripley resident on suspicion of sending malicious communications to England defender Jess Carter, marking the second arrest in the investigation into racist messages targeting the footballer during July's Women's European Championship.
Derbyshire Constabulary officers made the arrest on Tuesday, with the suspect subsequently released on bail.
The detention follows an earlier arrest on 28 August of a 59-year-old resident of Great Harwood, Lancashire, who faces identical charges relating to the offensive messages.
The UK Football Policing Unit initiated the investigation after Carter, 27, disclosed she had endured significant racial abuse throughout the tournament.
Police have detained a 30-year-old Ripley resident on suspicion of sending malicious communications to England defender Jess Carter
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The investigation emerged from reports of racist messages sent to the Warwick-born defender during the tournament in Switzerland.
The UK Football Policing Unit collaborated with social media platforms to trace those responsible for the offensive content.
According to police, the inquiry has successfully identified multiple suspects through digital tracking methods. Both arrested individuals face charges of making malicious communications.
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It marks the second arrest over the racial abuse the defender suffered during the Women's Euros this summer
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The Athletic reported that monitoring services detected 3,000 hostile social media posts targeting the England squad during the tournament final against Spain. Of these, 95 specifically targeted players or coaching staff, with 42 per cent containing racist content.
Chief Constable Mark Roberts of Cheshire Constabulary, who leads the National Police Chief Council's football policing division, condemned the messages as "disgusting" and "appalling."
"Nobody should be subjected to such disgusting abuse, and we want to make it clear that racist abuse of this nature will not be tolerated," Roberts stated. "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."
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Derbyshire Constabulary's Sergeant Gemma Thursfield emphasised that digital harassment carries identical consequences to face-to-face abuse.
"Abuse online is no different to being in person and people need to be clear that the posts they make, or messages they send, on social media are just the same as making them in person," she said.
The psychological toll on Carter proved severe, with the defender revealing to ITV News that she felt "scared" when selected for the Euro final, which England won against Spain.
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Jess Carter admitted feeling 'scared' after being selected for the Euros final. England ultimately won the game on penalties
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"That's the first time I've ever been scared; too scared to play," Carter admitted. "It makes you feel really small. It makes you feel like you're not important, that you're not valuable."
The Gotham FC player initially hesitated to publicise her withdrawal from social media, but her sister convinced her to take a stand.
Carter explained her sibling asked how she would respond if her nieces, nephews or team-mates faced similar abuse.
"I guess if it wasn't for her, I probably wouldn't have spoken up about it," Carter said.