A mum whose son was assaulted by Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo has said the footballer 'can't keep getting away with it'.
Ronaldo accepted a police caution for assault and criminal damage after slapping 14-year-old Jacob Harding's phone out of his hand when he left the pitch at Goodison Park after a defeat to Everton. Jacob, an Everton fan, was left with a bruised and puffy hand after the slap last April, and also had a broken phone.
His mum Sarah Kelly, 37, has now said she hopes the footballer 'finally gets the right punishment' after The Football Association charged him with a breach of FA Rule E3, relating to 'improper and/or violent' conduct. She said she did not know how he could sleep at night 'knowing the distress he has caused to a young fan'.
She told the Mirror: "Let’s hope he finally gets the right punishment. He can’t keep getting away with it. His behaviour is unacceptable."
Sarah previously branded the police caution as the 'tiniest slap on the wrist' for the Portuguese forward. She said Ronaldo told the pair he was 'sorry' but 'said he had done nothing wrong'.
"He offered us to meet him and said he was sorry but said he had done nothing wrong. That’s not an apology, that’s an insult", she said.
Sarah said the FA’s action had sparked a fresh wave of abuse against her and her son, who has autism, after they endured 'six months of hell' from Ronaldo fans. "I’m being hounded by people saying I’m dragging it up again but I didn’t know anything about it", she added.
"He should have been dealt with six months ago. My son talks about what happened to him every day. He still hasn’t had his phone back."
The mum also said she was angry that Merseyside Police had paid to get the phone repaired. "He should have paid for that. He’s the one who caused all this", she said.
"It baffles me – he can assault a child and carry on as normal. How can he sleep at night knowing the distress he has caused to a young fan?"
Police told Sarah that Ronaldo had paid a £200 fine, she said. Merseyside Police said they wanted to fix Jacob’s phone before giving it back.
A spokesman added: "The phone was kept until the conclusion of the investigation and will be returned shortly."
Sarah previously told how Ronaldo had allegedly phoned her vowing to fight any legal case. She said the day after the attack, a man called Sergio claiming to be Ronaldo’s PA called her with an offer to meet the player at United. She declined but claims she was told: “Do you know who Ronaldo is?”
In an Instagram post after the incident in April, Ronaldo, 37, said: "I would like to apologise for my outburst and, if possible, I would like to invite this supporter to watch a game at Old Trafford as a sign of fair play and sportsmanship."
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