A FOOTBALL fan who posted an offensive comment about Celtic player Leigh Griffiths on Twitter has been ordered to carry out unpaid work.

Mark Simpson, 29, admitted behaving in an abusive manner by posting a message of a sectarian nature.

Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard Simpson, a recruitment specialist from Cults, had been drinking.

Sheriff William Taylor ordered him to carry out 40 hours of unpaid work in the community.

Defence lawyer Ian Woodward-Nutt said his client had been celebrating the birth of his second child with family and friends when the offence was committed.

Following the hearing, Mr Woodward-Nutt said: "He has already offered his apologies via Celtic Football Club and now offers a sincere and public apology to all those who were offended by his comment.

"This regrettable incident amounts to a momentary lapse of judgement that will now forever tarnish the record of a man who has never before been in any kind of trouble."