Bradley Lowery: Football fan Dale Houghton avoids jail after mocking death of child mascot
A football fan who mocked the death of child mascot Bradley Lowery has been spared jail – as a judge branded his actions “utterly appalling”.
Dale Houghton, from Rotherham, received a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court and was ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work.
The 32-year-old, who had been a Sheffield Wednesday season ticket holder for 25 years, was also given a five-year football banning order.
Bradley was diagnosed with rare cancer neuroblastoma when he was just 18 months old and died aged six in 2017.
Bradley Lowery in 2016
Houghton – who pleaded guilty to a public order offence in October – was seen holding up a picture of Bradley and laughing in the stands at Sheffield Wednesday’s match against Sunderland at Hillsborough Stadium on Friday 29 September.
An image of the incident was met with outrage on social media and sparked an apology from Sheffield Wednesday.
In his sentencing remarks, the judge called the actions of Houghton “utterly appalling” and “disgraceful” and said the defendant “inflicted trauma on an already bereaved family”.
District Judge Marcus Waite told Houghton: “You showed callous disrespect to a brave young man who was rightly held in the highest esteem by football fans everywhere.”
Houghton, who had been drinking before the match, left the ground when Wednesday went 2-0 down, to go to the pub, and only found out later the scale of the turmoil he had caused, prosecutor Mark Hughes said.
Connie Coombs, defending, said her client accepted his actions were “outrageous”, “deplorable”, “atrocious” and a “heinous act”.
Ms Coombs said it was “a moment of utter stupidity in the context of back-and-forth between himself and the Sunderland fans”.
She said alcohol contributed to the offence, which was “out of character”.
Bradley was a mascot for both Sunderland and England, and formed a close bond with his beloved team’s striker Jermain Defoe, who called Bradley his “best mate”.
Shortly after the incident, Defoe said he was “appalled and saddened” by Bradley’s death being mocked.
Lowery with Jermain Defoe in 2016
Bradley’s mother previously told the court that she saw a picture of Houghton’s actions on Facebook.
Mrs Lowery said it “wasn’t just disrespectful to Bradley, but also to other people as well”, and it risked causing “so much emotional trauma to other children with cancer”.
“I feel upset that these men have used this image of Bradley in order to get a reaction from the Sunderland fans,” her statement said, adding that it was “unforgivable”.
The Bradley Lowery Foundation – a charity set up by Bradley’s mother – released a statement at the time, saying: “Whatever happened to ‘cancer has no colours’ let alone respect for a family that lost their baby to cancer.”
Following the incident, more than £11,000 was raised for the foundation amid an outpouring of support.
Weather warnings are in place for snow, wind and rain across much of the UK on New Year’s Day.
The start of 2025 will bring a “multi-hazard storm, combining severe gales, heavy rain and possibly significant snow as the rain runs into cold air,” said Sky News meteorologist Christopher England.
Pic: Met Office
The most significant snowfall on New Year’s Day will be from Donegal, across Northern Ireland and into the north of England and south of Scotland.
The wind looks strongest in the south, Mr England added, where 60mph winds are possible inland and 80mph gusts around the coasts of the Irish Sea.
The stormy weather continues on 2 January, with the Met Office issuing yellow weather warnings across England, Wales and parts of Scotland.
The UK has faced widespread disruption over the last few days, as thick fog descended.
Tens of thousands of passengers had flights delayed or cancelled, while drivers were warned about dangerous conditions with poor visibility.
Revellers are also set for a “wet and rather windy” New Year’s Eve, with the potential for a snowy Hogmanay in Scotland.
There could be some “possibly disruptive weather” on 31 December, Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said, with Scotland likely to see the worst of it.
The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for winds of up to 70mph that may cause travel disruption on New Year’s Eve.
The alert, in place from 7am until 11pm on Tuesday, covers most of Northern Ireland as well as north of York in England up to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Greenock.
The forecaster also warned that delays to transport are likely, with gusts of up to 60mph expected in most areas.
Those affected should check road conditions for driving and the latest travel information as well as preparing for in advance for potential power cuts.
A pensioner who is refusing to leave what’s being branded Britain’s loneliest housing estate has told Sky News he is facing bullying and intimidation tactics to force him out.
Nick Wisniewski’s ex-council flat in Wishaw, North Lanarkshire is set to be demolished because the local authority wants to redevelop the area, which has become a derelict eyesore.
The vast area on the outskirts of Glasgow used to have almost 1,000 properties, but slowly the bulldozers have moved in, creating huge mounds of rubble where homes once stood.
The land is overgrown, with all remaining properties boarded up – apart from the retired bank worker’s home, which demolition teams have been unable to touch as he refuses to budge.
Nick Wisniewski claims he is being bullied to leave his home
Rubble where homes on the estate once stood
‘They’ll basically need to drag me out’
The 68-year-old, whose neighbours were all rehomed in 2023, bought the flat in 2017 under the discounted right-to-buy scheme and is now mortgage-free.
He told Sky News he rejected an initial offer from North Lanarkshire Council of £35,000 plus two year’s rent as it would not be enough to buy a new place.
Contemplating a time in the future when he is forced out, he said: “By law they can smash my door down, they can come in here, manhandle me to get me out. That’s the law, and they’ll basically need to drag me out.”
Asked if he is prepared to go to that length to stop himself being removed, he said: “I am hoping it doesn’t come to that, but if it does then so be it.”
He reveals a compulsory purchase order process is now under way.
A compulsory purchase order is the legal power given to a local council to buy a property without the owner’s consent.
The legal battle will now be resolved by the Scottish government in due course.
There used to be almost a thousand properties on the estate
He said: “It’s been all intimidation, bullying, lies. They offered me £40,000 over a year ago. I thought they’d have offered me a wee bit more. I would accept, probably, £60,000.
“They had a meeting a couple of weeks ago saying that they are starting legal, which means compulsory purchase order.
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“There’s so many stages to that and it’ll take a while for that to come in to force.”
North Lanarkshire Council told Sky News it “completely refutes” any allegations of bullying or intimidation.
A spokesman said: “We are continuing to try and engage with the remaining resident and our focus is on progressing our ambitious plans to transform this area of Gowkthrapple for the benefit of the local community.”
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