• John Terry trial

Cole defends Terry in court

Ashley Cole has told the racism trial of his Chelsea and England team-mate John Terry that the case should not have been taken to court.

Terry, 31, is before Westminster Magistrates Court accused of calling Ferdinand a "f****** black c***" during the match at Loftus Road. He was investigated and charged after a complaint from an off-duty policeman.

Terry's representative, Keith Cousins, told the hearing on Monday that his client had been "rhetorically responding" to what he thought Ferdinand had accused him of saying. But Duncan Penny, prosecuting, responded by saying it was "unlikely" that someone's first reaction to being accused of racist abuse would be to repeat the same words.

Cole, also 31 - who played in the same defence as Terry that afternoon - told the court: "I think we shouldn't be sitting here." The left-back stressed that while racism should never be tolerated, someone repeating something they thought had been said to them was "completely different".

He said Terry was a close friend but that the case had caused him "conflict" because he is also friends with both Anton and Rio Ferdinand.

Cole told the court that Terry would shrug off taunts on the football pitch, saying: "He would probably laugh about it - it's part and parcel of the game and you get used to it," and described him as an "inspirational" captain.

He said he had believed Ferdinand's taunting of Terry during the match had been unnecessary, but that he had not heard Terry say anything in response.

Later in the match, Terry told Cole he thought Ferdinand had accused him of using a racist obscenity, and afterwards Cole was there when Terry asked Ferdinand what had happened.

He told the court: "I think John said: 'Did you think I called you a black c***, did you think I was being racist?' Then I said: 'Did you think John was being racist? Anton said: 'No, no.''' He said the two players then shook hands.

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