John Terry 'lost it' over Anton Ferdinand's insult

Chelsea defender John Terry "lost it" before racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand, a court has heard.

Prosecutor Duncan Penny said Mr Terry made the offensive comment because he had had enough of being "humiliated in public".

He accused the ex-England captain of creating an "elaborate flannel" to extricate himself from the charge.

Mr Terry is appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court to deny a racially-aggravated public order offence.

Mr Penny claimed the Chelsea defender was annoyed as his team struggled in the match at Loftus Road last October.

He also put it to Mr Terry that he had made a remark about having sex with Mr Ferdinand's girlfriend, in response to taunts about his alleged affair with a team-mate's ex-partner.

Mr Terry, 31, told the court that he had merely repeated the words that Mr Ferdinand mistakenly thought he had used.

He said he had been "keen" to speak to police about the alleged racist abuse because he "knew there was nothing out there that would show that I had done anything wrong".

But Mr Penny said: "You knew you'd crossed the line, you've regretted it ever since, and you're stuck with this story."

Mr Terry replied: "No."

It's handbags, innit - it's what happens on the pitch”

When the prosecution asked why he put out a statement rather than contacting Mr Ferdinand's family, he said he tried to speak to Mr Ferdinand's brother Rio - Mr Terry's England teammate - but that Rio would not take his call.

BBC News' sports correspondent Dan Roan, who is at the court, has tweeted that Mr Terry's teammate Ashley Cole has arrived at court and is expected to be a witness for the defence.

The court has been shown television footage of the incident in slow motion.

On Tuesday Mr Terry said that he was "very angry and upset" at being accused of racism.

The trial continues.