Two men jailed after former Manchester United and England star Andy Cole was racially abused on a flight

• Andy Cole was subjected to racial abuse on Dublin to Manchester flight 
• Lee Byrne, 28, of Dublin, admitted racially aggravated public order offence
• Gregory Horan, 26, also of Dublin, admitted being drunk on an aircraft
• The pair were both jailed at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court
• Ex-footballer Cole is heavily involved with Kick It Out anti-racism campaign
• Cole said in statement read to court he 'will not tolerate this abuse in any capacity'

Two men have been jailed after former England and Manchester United footballer Andrew Cole was racially abused during a flight.
Cole, 42, was travelling on an Aer Arran service from Dublin to Manchester when he was subjected to the abuse, which included being called ‘Mr Blackman’.
Drunk passengers Gregory Horan, 26, and Lee Byrne, 28, had begun drinking before boarding the 9.30am flight in December last year.

Lee Byrne, left, and Gregory Horan, right,  pictured arriving at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court where they were both jailed after former Manchester United footballer Andy Cole was racially abused on a flight

Former England and Manchester United footballer Andy Cole, 42, was travelling on an Aer Arran service from Dublin to Manchester when he was subjected to the abuse, which included being called 'Mr Blackman'

Minshull Street Crown Court, in Manchester, heard how they were asked by cabin crew if the wished to disembark before the plane took off.
But they opted to stay on board, where their drunken behaviour immediately caused problems for other passengers and cabin crew.
The pair had smuggled a bottle of rum on board and swore at cabin crew when they were asked to hand it over.
They also ‘hassled’ and kicked the chairs of two female passengers who were sat in front on them.
Rachel Faux, prosecuting, said cabin crew had felt ‘threatened’ by the men and they were grateful it was only a short flight.
Byrne began pestering Cole, who was sat nearby, calling him ‘Mr Blackman’.
‘Where I’m from it’s a politically correct to address you as Mr Blackman,’ he told the former player.

Lee Byrne, right, and Gregory Horan, wearing a blonde wig - left, leaving Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester where they were handed jail sentences for the incident on a Dublin to Manchester flight

Cole told Byrne to ‘just leave it’ but the abuse continued with Byrne calling him a ‘spook’- a racist term.
Ms Faux told the court that Cole had felt ‘angry and upset’ by this stage and he was forced to change seats.
She said that the former striker had felt ‘extremely humiliated and degraded’ and she read out a statement from him which said: ‘I’ve done a lot of work in sport and football around racism.

Andy Cole suffered racial abuse during his career and is involved with the Kick It Out anti-racism campaign alongside other prominent black footballers

‘I’ve been the victim of racism before and will not tolerate this abuse in any capacity.
‘I am worried if nothing happens or changes the next generation of young people, including my own children, will suffer the same discrimination and that is unacceptable to me.’
Horan and Byrne were arrested by police when the plane touched down and later charged.
Cole took to Twitter after the incident - on December 29, last year - to thank his followers for their backing.
He tweeted: ‘Can I just say thank you for the tweets and the support.’
Unemployed Byrne, of Blanchardstown, Dublin, pleaded guilty to a racially aggravated public order offence and being drunk on an aircraft at Trafford Magistrates’ Court in December.
Horan, of Castleknock, Dublin, who is on a Job Care scheme, admitted being drunk on an aircraft.
The court heard how both men had shown remorse for their actions.
Corrine Ransom, defending Byrne who had several previous convictions for drink-related offences and threatening behaviour, described his actions as ‘wreckless’, adding that he didn’t hold ‘entrenched racist views’.
David Bentley, defending Horan, said he had a history of drug and alcohol problems and he acknowledged his behaviour had been ‘dangerous’ on board an aircraft.
The court heard how both men had since moved to temporary addresses in Leeds.
Judge Mushtaq Khokar handed Byrne a 20-week sentence and Horan a ten-week sentence and they were each ordered to pay a £80 victim surcharge.
He said their actions could have ‘jeopardised the safety of everyone on the plane’ and that Byrne’s words would have been ‘equally harmful’ to Cole whether he’d said them when he was drunk or sober.

In a statement read out in court, Mr Cole said: ‘I’ve been the victim of racism before and will not tolerate this abuse in any capacity'

Cole took to Twitter after the incident on December 29 last year to thank his followers for their backing

Cole, who’s now an ambassador for Manchester United, spent eight successful seasons with the Old Trafford club, winning five Premier League titles, two FA Cups and one Champions League trophy.
The striker also had spells at Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City.
He suffered racial abuse during his career and is involved with the Kick It Out anti-racism campaign alongside other prominent black footballers.
The campaign is supported and funded by the game’s governing bodies, including founding body the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), the Premier League and The Football Association.
Speaking in 2011, Cole said he’d been discouraged from pursuing a career in football coaching and management because of the dearth of opportunities for black ex-players.
He said English football was facing a ‘lost’ generation of potential managers because black former players would ‘walk away’ from the game.