Football pundit Ian Wright has said he is "disappointed" that an Irish teenager who admitted racially abusing him escaped a criminal conviction.
Patrick O'Brien, of Sycamore Court, Ashleigh Downs, Tralee, Co Kerry abused the former England striker in private messages on Instagram last May after he lost a Fifa game on PlayStation.
Judge Waters said the question was whether the slurs against Mr Wright were motivated by genuinely held views, or were the "mindless comments of a naive young man".
The judge criticised the "reprehensible views and language" O'Brien had put on social media, but said it appeared he had shown "genuine remorse".
He said he was minded to send the accused on a course to help him understand the gravity of his actions, but that Mr O'Brien had already done this "off his own back".
Judge Waters noted that Mr Wright "generously forgave" O'Brien and the accused had reason to be thankful for that.
He said he suspected Mr Wright was also of the view that these were the actions of "a naive young man".
Mr Wright, 57, was a prolific goalscorer, most notably with Arsenal, where he won the Premier League title.
He earned 33 caps for the England national team, scoring nine goals.
After his retirement from professional football, he became a popular pundit appearing on the BBC, ITV and BT Sport.
