Connor Brown launched the attack on the 19-year-old on Twitter (sufc.co.uk)
Connor Brown launched the attack on the 19-year-old on Twitter (sufc.co.uk)

Sheffield United have launched an investigation into comments made by reserve player Connor Brown on Twitter after teammate Ched Evans was found guilty of rape.

Brown, 19, responded to Evan's five-year-jail sentence for raping a 19-year-old girl by tweeting his support for the Welsh international and calling the woman a "money grabbing whore".

Evans, 23, was jailed for five years at Caernarfon Crown Court on Friday after being found guilty of raping a woman who was "too drunk to consent".

After branding the law "a load of f*****g s**t he launched an attack on the woman, saying "If ur a slag ur [sic] a slag don't try get money from being a slag... Stupid girls... I feel sick."

Brown has since removed the offending tweets and set his account to private.

A statement on the club's official website read: "Sheffield United confirmed today that an internal investigation is underway into social media comments made by reserve team player Connor Brown following the verdict in the Ched Evans trial.

"The club is aware of a very serious matter regarding comments made through the Twitter account of one of its players. As a result we have launched an inquiry."

It follows reports that the woman involved in the case was named and abused on Twitter. Victims of rape and other sexual assaults are guaranteed the right to lifetime anonymity.

Naming a victim of rape or sexual result could lead to a prison sentence and a fine.

Holly Dustin, director of the End Violence Against Women coalition, and Rape Crisis England and Wales, said: "It is profoundly disturbing that the victim in the Ched Evans trial has been named and abused on Twitter and other social media sites.

"It has long been law that rape complainants are protected by lifetime anonymity and those who have named her have been reported to the police for committing a criminal offence.

"This raises serious questions about the adequacy of the criminal justice system to deal with offences that occur online and we are calling for an urgent review of laws and practices."

Evans admitted having sex with the victim, then aged 19, at a hotel in north Wales last May.

In her evidence, the woman said she has no memory of the incident and the prosecution argued she was too drunk to consent to sexual intercourse.

Evans' co-accused, Port Vale defender Clayton McDonald, 23, who also admitted having sex with the victim, was found not guilty.

Evans was the League One side's top striker having scored 35 goals this season as Sheffield United - currently second in division - chase promotion to championship league.

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