Teenager pleads not guilty to sending racist message to Lionesses defender Jess Carter

A 19-year-old has pleaded not guilty to sending England footballer Jess Carter a message containing a racial slur during last year’s Women’s European Championship, a court heard on Wednesday.

Aaryan Aggarwal, of Chigwell in Essex, appeared before Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court charged with sending a message over a public network that was offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing. Prosecutor Grace Court told the hearing that Carter received the communication on 17 July last year — the day England defeated Sweden in their Euro 2025 quarter-final in Switzerland. Aggarwal is accused of writing: “Well done stupid ugly n*”. He denied the charge, and a trial date has been set for 3 October 2026 at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court.

The case is the second prosecution linked to racist abuse directed at Carter during the tournament. In March, 60-year-old Nigel Dewale received a suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to sending abusive posts referencing her race and suggesting people with brown skin were “murderers” and “groomers” to her TikTok account.

Carter, who was part of the Lionesses squad that won Euro 2025, has spoken publicly about the toll the abuse took on her during the competition. “It was the first time where I lacked in confidence on the pitch,” she told BBC Sport. “I didn’t want to leave the hotel in case the people who were saying those things were going to be in Switzerland with us. It was quite a scary time and it was just really sad. It kind of totally devalues you as a human being.”

The defender said she felt a duty to speak out beyond her own experience. “I felt a sense of responsibility to speak up, not only for myself, but just for anybody else that’s facing that kind of abuse,” she said. “Every player should feel comfortable walking along the street and being whoever they want to be, and it’s getting to a place where I think a lot of people don’t feel that comfort any more.”