He’s been given a 12-week suspended prison sentence
A Sheffield Wednesday supporter who mocked the death of Bradley Lowery has been given a 12-week suspended prison sentence, according to BBC News, and has been banned from attending any football match for five years.
Dale Houghton, 32, went viral over a picture of him laughing as he held up an image of six-year-old Lowery at a match against Sunderland. The action was an attempt by the supporter to aggravate the opposition fans.
Bradley was a Sunderland supporter before his death to cancer in 2017, and had become a fan favourite with the crowd, even striking up a strong relationship with former England forward Jermain Defoe.
His actions were branded as “disgraceful”.
Bradley’s bravery and spirit endeared him to the nation and his friendship with Defoe was a publicly adored, and following the “sickening incident” over the weekend a fundraiser was set up in Bradley’s memory.
At the time of writing, almost £30,000 was donated to the Bradley Lowery Foundation “to show our support and stand up against this type of behaviour in football”.
Bradley’s mother Gemma branded Houghton’s actions “unforgivable”. In a victim impact statement read to the court, she said: “It is not just disrespectful to Bradley but also to other people who are going through the emotional trauma of dealing with cancer.
“This image portrays negatively. I feel upset that these two men used this image to get a reaction from Sunderland fans. It was unforgivable. I have nothing but loving memories of Bradley.”
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