The girlfriend of Olympic gold medallist Greg Rutherford has been targeted with abusive messages from people claiming to be fans of controversial boxer Tyson Fury.
Long jumper Rutherford had been vocal with his objections to the inclusion of Fury as a fellow Sports Personality of the Year nominee after the heavyweight boxing champion made controversial comments about homosexuality and women.
According to The Sun, Rutherford's long-term partner Susie Verill has received a barrage of "derogatory" and "aggressive" messages on Twitter, with some threatening serious sexual violence including rape.
In one, the 27-year-old is labelled "a little slut" while another suggests that she "go get a good seeing to".
Verill, who has a one-year-old son with Rutherford, told the newspaper: "I'm not sure what I expected, but I certainly didn't think quite so many men would shout so loudly with such outdated views."
Many of the posters included Tyson Fury's Twitter handle alongside their messages but there is no suggestion that Fury condoned their actions.
Neil Wilkes
