A Dons fan has admitted posting a series of offensive comments on Twitter mocking a dead football player’s sister and a young boy with Downs syndrome.
Ross Gibson posted a tirade of messages on his social network site following his team’s clash with Celtic on March 1 this year.
Afterwards, he told police it as a “bit of banter” between friends.
But the 20-year-old’s comments caused outrage online, with many people stepping in to defend the well-known young boy – who cannot be named for legal reasons.
Posted below a picture of the young Celtic supporter, Gibson made mention to his disability and said he hoped he “drops deed”.
He made further sickening remarks about Celtic player Scott Brown’s sister Fiona, who died from skin cancer in 2008 aged 21.
One of the tweets made reference to her being in “in hell” with Celtic legend Tommy Burns, who died just two weeks before her due to the same disease.
Yesterday, Gibson went on trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court accused of causing fear and alarm by posting the threatening and abusive material online.
The retail assistant originally denied the allegations, and claimed the confessions he had made to officers about his involvement were taken without his full understanding of the police caution.
He claimed he did not know or realise that he was allowed to remain silent throughout his interview and his solicitor, Paul Barnett, attempted to have his statement discounted as evidence.
But after hearing from the two officers charged and detained Gibson, Sheriff David Hall said he was “entirely satisfied” he understood what he had been told.
As a result, he was forced to enter a guilty plea to the charge against him at the end of the Crown case.
The court heard the Gibson told officers he had been “extremely drunk” when he wrote the tweets from his friend’s house in Aberdeen.
And he denied the comments attached to the picture of the young disabled fan were made about him.
Gibson told officers the remarks had been made as a “bit of banter”. He said the offensive wording he had been used was aimed at his friend and not the child.
The court was read allowed, in full, the interview Gibson gave to officers following his arrest.
He said: “Yeah, I wrote that but it wasn’t about him. I was pretty intoxicated. It was about a friend. Nothing about someone with a disability.”
The tweets caused outrage at the time and the court heard that Gibson, of 16 Fergus Place, Dyce, Aberdeen, was forced to shut down his Twitter account a few hours after posting the messages.
When asked by police if he understood why there had been such a backlash, he replied: “There’s a disabled person in the picture.”
He was then questioned about other posts he put online, which he said he only intended his friends to see.
The court heard that towards the end of the police interview Gibson admitted to officers that he had been “immature and disgusting” and apologised for his behaviour.
He said he realised he had been a disappointment to his family.
Sheriff Hall deferred sentence on the first offender for background reports to be carried out.
He said: “This charge is a serious charge and it is also a rather unpleasant matter. You are a young man with no previous convictions and who is in full time employment. I want to know a little bit more about you and your background.”
Gibson declined to comment when contacted at his home last night.