Karl Anderson Pleads Guilty to Hate Crime Against Raheem Sterling

Karl Anderson, a 29-year-old man who was arrested by Greater Manchester Police on Tuesday, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated common assault on Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling.

BBC Sport shared word of the guilty plea, noting that Anderson had 25 convictions for 37 offences, "including football-related violence." Anderson was sentenced to 16 weeks in jail and was fined £100.

According to a Dec. 16 report from James Ducker of the Daily Telegraph, Sterling was kicked and called a "n----r" when he arrived at the team's training ground on Saturday ahead of the meeting with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

Anderson also told Sterling he hoped that his "mother and child wake up dead" and called him a "black Scouse c--t" during the attack, per Eleanor Barlow of the Daily Mirror.

At the time of the arrest, police confirmed they would treat the attack as a hate crime, per BBC Sport. City are yet to issue any comment on the allegations or the arrest made.

Simon Stone of BBC Sport provided further details, including quotes from Detective Chief Inspector Paul Walker:

According to Ducker, the man alleged to have attacked Sterling was waiting for the England international to arrive at the complex.

"Sterling had pulled into the entrance in his car as he arrived for City's pre-match preparations, at which point he is believed to have been confronted by the man hurling a barrage of abuse at him," the piece continued. "Telegraph Sport understands that Sterling got out of his car to ask what the problem was only for the man to react by reputedly kicking the City player in the leg."

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

Later in the day, Sterling went on to score twice for City in their 4-1 win over Spurs. The second goal in the game was the forward's 15th of what has been a remarkable campaign so far for the City man.

Ducker praised the temperament showed by the 23-year-old:

Sterling has been a crucial part of City's exceptional beginning to the season. Pep Guardiola's side are currently 11 points clear of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League and have won their last 16 top-flight matches in a row.

Having previously been somewhat inconsistent, Sterling has excelled under Guardiola and is living up to his potential as one of the best wingers in the division.