'Very drunk' Man City fan and mother-of-six spared jail after sexually assaulting male Everton supporter
20 December 2022, 14:40 | Updated: 20 December 2022, 15:54
A Manchester City fan and mother-of-six has been spared jail after sexually assaulting a male Everton fan at a Premiership fixture, despite telling police 'a Scouse man is not something that I would want or need.'
Jemma Whiteside, 40, who was said to be 'very drunk' at the time of the incident, is reported to have said: "I am going to f*** him later, and I don't even know his name."
Denying the allegations, Whiteside of Worsley, Greater Manchester, asserted she "wouldn’t even do this sort of thing to my boyfriend in public."
Whiteside, whose son is currently on a scholarship at a Premiership club and daughter is undertaking trials at Liverpool FC, managed to avoid jail following the incident.
The sexual assault took place during a Premier League fixture on February 26 at Goodison Park, with Manchester City beating Everton 1-0.
The victim of the assault, whose identity remains anonymous, also appealed to the court to treat male and female sexual assault victims equally, adding: "whether the assault was by a man or a woman, it should be treated the same".
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Asserting her innocence, Whiteside told police: "No offence to Liverpool but a Scouse man is not something that I would want or need."
In response to claims she made sexual comments aimed at the victim, she added: "As a staunch City fan that is not something I can see myself saying."
"He has taken offence at me, he does not like me. I am a respectable mother and a respectable City fan. I would not behave in a way that would make me be less able to see Man City."
Whitehouse added: "If I was walking past I may have brushed past him. It was a football match, it was a crowded place, it is easy to happen, to brush past someone."
Appearing at Sefton Magistrates' Court court on December 12, Whiteside was sentenced to a nine-month community order, 15 days of a rehabilitation activity, and ordered to pay a £200 fine, £400 compensation to the victim, £200 in costs and a £95 surcharge.
After being found guilty of sexual assault, District Judge James Clarke said: "The victim on this occasion said he felt contact - and it was quite an unusual and unexpected type of contact.
"He said in his original statement that he was touched on the buttocks, testicles and the penis. In his evidence, he said only testicles, but it is all part of the intimate area. His response was one of disbelief."
During the case, Witeside continued to assert her innocence, noting: "When I am not looking after my children, football is the only thing I do."
Senior Crown Prosecutor Mike O’Kane, of Crown Prosecution Service Mersey Cheshire, said: "This man was subjected to an unprovoked and entirely unexpected sexual assault by Ms Whiteside.
"The incident caused both upset and embarrassment to the victim. He further noted in his victim personal statement which was read at the sentencing hearing that ‘it should not matter whether the assault was by a man or a woman, it should be treated the same’.
"The Crown Prosecution Service would echo that. Men do fall victim to sexual assaults and are entitled to protection under the law."
