Fan admits attacking Celtic manager Neil Lennon
Wednesday 31 August 2011
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A football fan admitted today that he assaulted Celtic manager Neil Lennon during a match last season, telling a jury: "It must have been awful for him."
John Wilson, 26, told Edinburgh Sheriff Court: "I can't say how sorry I am to Mr Lennon."
Wilson, a Hearts fan from Edinburgh, told how he had "let so many people down" as a result of the assault on May 11 and regretted "every moment" of it.
But he denied making a sectarian remark during the incident, as prosecutors allege.
Wilson denies calling Mr Lennon a "Fenian b******", saying he instead called the football star a "f****** w*****".
Asked about his views on sectarianism, he stated: "It's not right."
Wilson was giving evidence for the defence on the third day of his trial, where he stands accused of attacking Lennon at a Hearts v Celtic match at Tynecastle Stadium in Edinburgh.
The attack is alleged to have been religiously aggravated.
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