This is the moment a millionaire captured a Swansea football yob performing a Nazi salute at a top Premier League match.
Businessman Jon Reuben filmed Leighton Johnson, 43, as he put his finger under his nose to mimic Hitler’s moustache and raised his arm in a Sieg Heil insult to Tottenham Hotspur fans.
The footage was used as evidence in the case to convict Johnson of a race hate crime.
Brazen Johnson claimed he raised his arm to wave to family members in the Swansea City stand – and his finger was indicating he was going for a pint, Swansea Crown Court heard.
Businessman Jon Reuben (left) filmed Leighton Johnson (right), 43, as he put his finger under his nose to mimic Hitler’s moustache and raised his arm in a Sieg Heil insult to Tottenham Hotspur fans
But a jury who watched Mr Reuben’s phone video refused to believe his ‘pack of lies’ and convicted him of causing racially aggravated alarm or distress
Johnson was at the Swansea City game in April last year against the Spurs club which is described as having a ‘long association with the Jewish community’.
Spurs associate director Mr Reuben took out his mobile phone to film fans celebrating a dramatic late 3-1 win.
But he also recorded Johnson making the raised-arm Nazi salute towards the directors box.
Prosecutor Ian Wright said: ‘Johnson raised his left arm and put his fingers across his lip to mimic a moustache.’
Mr Wright said the chairman of Tottenham Hotspur football club, directors and a ‘significant proportion’ of its fans were of Jewish descent – and that as a football fan Johnson was well aware of that fact when he ‘performed a Nazi or Hitler salute’.
Brazen Johnson (right) claimed he raised his arm (left) to wave to family members in the Swansea City stand – and his finger was indicating he was going for a pint, Swansea Crown Court heard
The court heard Mr Reuben, who is himself Jewish, had been upset by Johnson’s gesture.
He emailed the video clip to Swansea City who identified Johnson before passing the footage to police. The jury was then shown the clip.
Johnson denied making a Nazi salute – saying he thought he had been waving to his family ‘to let them know I was going for a drink or a cigarette’.
Asked whether he was aware of the association of Spurs and people of the Jewish faith he replied that ‘he’d never heard that before.’
Mr Wright described Johnson’s versions of events as ‘a pack of lies’.
Judge Paul Thomas QC told Johnson: ‘I cannot think of any more offensive than people of Jewish faith being subjected to a Nazi salute.’
Johnson was released on bail on condition that he does not go with 100m of the Liberty Stadium in the five hours before a Swansea home fixture. He will be sentenced in September.