Man in court accused of racist posts about Lioness

A teenager has appeared in court charged with making racist Instagram posts about England defender Jess Carter.

Aaryan Agarwal allegedly sent the footballer messages on two occasions in July last year.

The 19-year-old of Dickens Rise, Chigwell, is charged with a single count of sending a letter, communication, or article conveying an indecent or offensive message.

He appeared at Colchester Magistrates' Court on Tuesday but did not enter a plea. He is due to attend Chelmsford Crown Court on 18 August.

Magistrates were told the first message was sent after England lost 2-1 against France on 5 July in the group stage of the Women's Euro 2025.

The post allegedly referred to Carter using racist language.

A second abusive message was allegedly sent on 17 July, when England won against Sweden in their quarter-final.

Agarwal was arrested in September after the messages were reported.

Carter, who is from Warwick, was part of the England squad who created history by winning their first major women's tournament at Euro 2022.

The 28-year-old spent six years at Chelsea before moving to US-based side Gotham FC in 2024.

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