Wife of England football legend Peter Shilton was left foul-mouthed voicemail message by BT engineer after the goalkeeper condemned Liverpool fans for singing anti-coronation slurs
- Adam Ledgerton, 25, targeted Stephanie Shilton with vile messages
- The BT engineer, from Liverpool, threatened to break England legend’s neck
- He appeared at Wirral Magistrates’ Court and admitted sending the messages
A troll targeted the wife of England football hero Peter Shilton leaving vile voicemails which included threatening to break her husband’s neck after the goalkeeper condemned Liverpool fans for singing anti-coronation slurs ahead of King Charles being crowned.
The sickening messages BT engineer Adam Ledgerton, 25, left Stephanie Shilton included calling the World Cup legend a ‘fat Tory’ and a ‘f***ing little c***’.
Ledgerton, from Liverpool, targeted the former NHS manager and jazz singer when he spotted the goalkeeper’s tweet of his interview on GB News.
Shilton had criticised Liverpool fans for singing ‘you can stick your coronation up your a***’ when the club played Fulham in the Premier League just days before King Charles was crowned.
During the interview with Jacob Rees-Mogg on Thursday, May 4 – the day after the Fulham game – the retired footballer said: ‘It is sad that a small minority feel they have to do this – especially Liverpool fans.
‘In my era I used to go to Anfield and it was one of the most hospitable grounds for the opposition in the country.
Adam Ledgerton, 25, pictured outside Wirral Magistrates’ Court. The BT engineer targeted England legend Peter Shilton’s wife with vile messages after the goalkeeper hit out at Liverpool fans for anti-coronation slurs ahead of the crowning of King Charles
Peter and Stephanie Shilton were so affected by the vile messages they changed their plans and were ‘extra careful’ when attending any events in case Ledgerton turned up
‘As a goalkeeper you used to run down to the Kop and they all used to clap you and they used to have a fantastic sense of humour. They were known for that.
‘I think they’re letting themselves down and the club down by booing, certainly the King.’
Days later Liverpool fans booed the national anthem ahead of their game against Brentford when the first notes of God Save The King began to play.
Ledgerton was so enraged by the comments he then trawled Shilton’s online biography and spotted a mobile number – and then rang it to unleash his foul-mouthed rant.
Former NHS boss Mrs Shilton, 53, who manages her 73-year old husband’s business activities and who is credited for him beating a severe gambling addiction, was said to be ‘incredibly distressed’ by the message.
The couple were so affected that they had taken to changing their plans and being ‘extra careful’ when attending any events in case Ledgerton turned up.
READ MORE: Piers Morgan slams ‘PATHETIC’ Liverpool fans who booed God Save the King after the national anthem was drowned out ahead of Reds’ 1-0 win over Brentford on Coronation Day
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Ledgerton, who lives in West Kirby, was later traced but claimed he had acted ‘out of character and impulsively’ after seeing messages Mr Shilton had posted on his Twitter page.
At Wirral Magistrates’ Court, Ledgerton pleaded guilty to sending a communication conveying a threatening message and will be sentenced later.
Natasha Williamson, prosecuting, said: ‘Stephanie Shilton acts for her husband, a high-profile retired footballer.
‘She was at her home address and received a voicemail message from the defendant who said, ‘Hi Steph, if you work for Peter, can you just let him know that he is a fat Tory, a little f***ing c***.
‘If I see him I will break his f**ing neck and his fat Tory royal shagging c***’. The message left her incredibly distressed and scared.
‘Herself and Peter have had to change their plans going forward with work events and appearances.
‘They had to be extra careful when going to events in case the defendant turns up at the events.
‘The defendant was arrested and interviewed. He said it was out of character for him. It was a one-time thing. He had no intention of carrying out the threat.
‘It was a reflection of his anger on the day. He came across Peter’s Twitter profile and was not a fan of what he was putting on there.
Shilton is England’s most capped male player in history and was in goal when Diego Maradona infamously handled the ball into the net during the 1986 World Cup in Mexico
‘It was a result of anger and frustration.’
In mitigation, Ledgerton’s lawyer Jeremy Coleman said: ‘Mr Ledgerton is incredibly remorseful for what happened. He apologises to the victims and offered in interview to write a letter of apology to the victims.
READ MORE: I couldn’t save myself from gambling away my millions: How England’s most-capped player and star goalie PETER SHILTON was crippled by a betting addiction until he met the woman who helped him beat it
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‘It was very much out of character for him. He works as a desk engineer for British Telecom. He provides support for BT customers. He is gainfully employed.
‘Five years ago he was diagnosed with depression, which led to medication being prescribed. As a follow on from that he has been suffering from anxiety and anxiety attacks.
‘It seems things were posted on social media he did not agree with. He responded in an impulsive way and he appeared in court today.
‘It will have an impact in his life going forward. He has a partner, a girlfriend who is in court, who has supported him through this, despite the foolish manner in which he behaved himself on this day. It was very much a one-off.’
Legderton was bailed to appear at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on September 1.
Goalkeeper Peter Shilton is England’s most male capped player with 125 games, playing for the national team for 20 years and at three successive World Cups, 1982, 1986 and 1990.
Shilton was in goal when Diego Maradona infamously handled the ball past his net in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, effectively knocking England out of the tournament.
Over a 30-year career, he played for 11 clubs and twice won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest.
Shilton (pictured left) holds up the European Cup with Trevor Francis after beating Malmo in the 1979 final. The goalkeeper played for 11 clubs in his career and made a world record 1,387 competitive football appearances
He holds the world record for most competitive football appearances at 1,387
He met Steph in 2012 after he had split from his first wife.
In August, 2021, he wrote a column for the Daily Mail where he bravely spoke about his gambling addiction and credited Steph for saving his life.
He wrote: ‘Once the habit became all-consuming, I was lost. If I hadn’t had the good fortune to meet my wonderful wife Steph — who will also tell you her side of the story — I don’t think I would be here.’
He added: ‘But the moment I met Steph, it was like this little ray of warm light entered into my dark world. Falling in love with her was so easy but hiding my gambling was hard.
‘I knew we had a chance of a brilliant future together, but I also knew commitment and financial security went hand in hand for her. This all made me start to feel uncomfortable.’
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