A 31-year-old man is to be charged with the racially aggravated harassment of former England winger Ugo Monye, police confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.
Devon and Cornwall police confirmed to ESPN that the man has been summonsed to appear before Exeter Magistrates’ Court on July 24, 2024.
Monye, 40, had been working on the coverage of Exeter Chief”s victory over Gloucester in the Gallagher Premiership on Nov. 19, 2023, as part of the punditry team for broadcaster TNT Sports when the alleged incident took place.
The former England international, said in a post on social media that he was racially abused as he was leaving Exeter’s Sandy Park stadium.
“One supporter running through crowd starts shouting ‘n—a, n—a,’ disgraceful,” Monye wrote.
“Not a single person said a word, challenged or even reported it.
“He walks off after a mild scuffle and fans are now telling me, ‘We’re with you’. B——-s you’re with me… [I’m] so fed up.”
Devon and Cornwall police said that “the charge relates to an incident on Sunday 19 November 2023 in Sandy Park Way, Exeter,” where the man will be charged with “racially/religiously aggravated harassment/alarm/distress by words/writing.”
Exeter issued a statement at the time of the alleged incident, where they apologised to Monye and vowed to investigate the matter.
“This behaviour will not be tolerated at our Rugby Club, and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms,” Exeter said in a statement.
“Our team will begin to review CCTV footage from the stadium immediately in an attempt to identify the individual in question and we would like to extend our sincerest apologies to Ugo Monye, a member of the rugby community that is highly respected by everyone at our club.”
Monye earned 14 caps for England between 2008 and 2012 and made 241 appearances for Harlequins during his 13 years with the club.