Police investigate after Nottingham Forest fan is seen abusing and bullying a vulnerable young rival supporter in sickening 'hate crime' video footage
- Footage shared online shows man taunting vulnerable Derby County fan
- Fellow supporters have condemned his behaviour, which club is investigating
- Victim's father says bully 'doesn't understand the vulnerability of some people'
- Police say they are treating the incident as a hate crime and investigating
- Fellow Derby supporters have set up a fund to support the victim of the abuse
Police are investigating after a man claiming to be Nottingham Forest supporter humiliated a young follower of a rival club and posted the video online.
Footage shared on Facebook shows a vulnerable Derby County fan being taunted in public and made to say he is a 'sheepsh****r'.
Nottingham Forest say they have launched an investigation into the footage, which has been viewed more than 100,000 times online.
Police say they are treating the incident as a hate crime and have appealed for information.
It comes as police stepped up a security operation outside a match between Forest and their East Midlands rivals Derby tonight, amid fears of trouble.
A shocking video was shared online showing this Derby County fan being abused by a rival
The clip appears to have been filmed in a shopping centre in Nottingham. The bully chose to challenge the victim because he was wearing a Derby County shirt.
The man behind the camera says 'here he is, look, what are you doing with that on mate?' as he refers to his football top.
He aggressively taunts the Derby fan - who's team are nicknamed The Rams - saying 'you shouldn't be wearing that in this city, that top.'.
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He then says: 'You see, they say all f****** Derby fans are inbred but you prove it is not true.'
The victim continues to stare at the man and replies 'yeah.'
The bully says: 'You take it easy yeah, but remember you're a sheep sh****r yeah, remember that yeah, say it, I'm a sheep sh****r.'
The Derby County fan then replies: 'I'm a sheepsh****r.'
Fellow supporters, many Nottingham Forest fans themselves, condemned the man's actions
The boy's father commented on the video on Facebook, saying: 'I think the guy thought it was funny and probably doesn't understand the vulnerability of some people.
'I'm concerned that he made him say words I wouldn't want him to know. I'm also concerned that he would video it to show it to his mates.
'I thank everyone for their support in this matter, including all the Forest fans.'
He believes the video was filmed up to a year ago, when the boy's grandfather had let him go into a shop alone, to develop his independence.
The boy's father fears the video may have come to light now ahead of the Derby vs Nottingham Forest match tonight.
Hundreds of football fans, including supporters of both clubs, condemned the man's actions in comments posted online. Some referred the video to local police.
Fellow Derby fans have set up a crowdfunding page to support the victim.
The footage was shared online ahead of the the local rivals match against each other tonight
A Nottinghamshire Police spokesman said: 'We're aware of a video circulating on social media and we're working together with Nottingham Forest Football Club to investigate the incident.
'We are treating the incident as a hate crime. We're appealing for anyone who knows who made the video to get in contact with us. We'd also like to appeal directly to the person responsible for making the video to get in touch with us so they can explain their actions.
'We're also keen to speak to anyone who knows the victim. Please call us on 101, quoting incident number 408 of 17 December 2018.'
A spokesman for Nottingham Forest said they were aware of the video and have lanuched an internal investigation.
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