A law student will be sentenced today for sending the football pundit Stan Collymore "grossly offensive" messages on Twitter.
Joshua Cryer, 21, admitted the offence at a hearing earlier this month having previously denied contravening the Communications Act.
The Newcastle University student, who lives in the Jesmond area of the city, will be sentenced at Newcastle Magistrates' Court.
Cryer, from Burnley, Lancashire, was arrested in January after Mr Collymore, a former England striker, reported online abuse to Staffordshire Police and they passed the matter to their Northumbria Police counterparts.
The 41-year-old pundit, originally from Cannock, Staffordshire, played for a string of top clubs, including Liverpool, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.
He works as a broadcaster for talkSport, campaigns against racism and is a supporter of the Depression Alliance charity.