Sponsor withdraws support for Selby Town FC over decision to take on convicted abuser Reece Thompson – as Ministry of Justice reveals he is still on licence

Reece Thompson was jailed in April 2019 for subjecting the woman to an attack in which he beat her with an iron bar and forced her to lick paint off the floor.

Thompson was released nine months into his 40-month sentence in January this year, but was recalled to prison the following month after reportedly posting an inappropriate tweet which made reference to his conviction. He was released for a second time in May.

Since then, Selby Town FC has taken on Thompson and yesterday defended its decision, saying in a statement that his sentence was "now served".

The Ministry of Justice has now confirmed the player, who previously played for Guiseley AFC, is actually still on licence for the conviction and as such is subject to strict licence conditions, the details of which cannot be disclosed.

Following the North Yorkshire club's announcement, estate agents Reeds Rains confirmed it would be withdrawing its sponsorship for the club.

Chris Moffat, Branch Manager for the agency's franchised branch in Selby, said: “In light of this recent news, we have decided to withdraw our sponsorship of Selby FC.”

Selby Town's statement on Tuesday said: "As made clear in our original statement, the club does not condone Reece’s actions and we can only imagine the impact upon those involved. For what he has done, Reece has rightly been judged in a court of law and served his sentence.

"With that sentence now served and with the ongoing work Reece carries out to understand and learn from his behaviour, we have come to the conclusion that it is not our place to continue to further punish Reece for his actions, he has received his punishment and carried out his sentence, and with that in mind we believe that a second chance could and should be provided both in employment and in recreation."

The club added: "Further to this, we believe that being part of our club and being surrounded by the strong management team we have in place can further help Reece to overcome his past and to ensure that he learns from his actions and is able to fulfil a role within society.

"We understand there will be many that disagree with our stance, likewise there will be those who believe he has served his sentence and should be allowed to now carry on with life. We hope going forward Reece will be judged on his actions from this point with his knowledge that the expectations and standard of behaviour expected of him are high."

Selby Town was approached for further comment.

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today.

Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you'll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers.

So, please - if you can - pay for our work. Just £5 per month is the starting point. If you think that which we are trying to achieve is worth more, you can pay us what you think we are worth. By doing so, you will be investing in something that is becoming increasingly rare. Independent journalism that cares less about right and left and more about right and wrong. Journalism you can trust.

Thank you

James Mitchinson (Editor)