31-year-old man charged with public order offense after Sheffield Wednesday fans ‘watched mock death of Bradley Lowery’

A Sheffield Wednesday supporter has been charged by police after fans appeared to mock the death of Sunderland football mascot Bradley Lowery during a match.

The Sunderland fan captured the nation’s heart during his battle with neuroblastoma but died of the disease aged six in 2017.

He was a mascot for his beloved club and in the months before his death he led England to Wembley alongside former Black Cats striker Jermain Defoe.

Sunderland beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 last Friday at Hillsborough and offensive footage has been circulating on X, formerly Twitter. They showed two men laughing at the match, one of them holding up a picture of Bradley.

Dale Houghton, 31, from Rotherham, was arrested on Saturday and charged with a public order offence, South Yorkshire Police said. He is due in court on Monday.

Mr Houghton was remanded in custody ahead of a hearing at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court, South Yorkshire Police said. Police have also applied for a football banning order.

A second 27-year-old man was also arrested yesterday and has been released on bail pending further inquiries.

Since the backlash, Sheffield Wednesday fans have raised almost £15,000 for the Bradley Lowery Foundation.

A spokesman for the charity shared his gratitude to his fan base and added: “Turning a negative into a positive, that’s what Brad always did.”

One Sheffield Wednesday fan commented: “Shame and shame that this has come from the ‘supporters’ of our club.

“It is despicable and unimaginable that this has happened, Bradley has touched the world of football with his strength and smile. Keep up the positive work. We are so sorry that this happened and caused distress.”