03 October 2023 , 08:28
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Jermain Defoe has revealed his disgust and sadness after a disgraced football fan mocked the death of Bradley Lowery.
Sheffield Wednesday supporter Dale Houghton, 31, pleaded guilty to a public order offence at Sheffield Magistrates' Court on Monday after showing a photo of Bradley to Sunderland fans and laughing. The incident happened during last Friday's Championship game.
Bradley became a beloved public figure during his battle with neuroblastoma before his death in 2017, aged six. The wider football community was outraged by Houghton's actions, with Wednesday fans raising more than £23,000 for the Bradley Lowery Foundation.
Defoe became friends with Bradley before his death and has offered his thoughts to the late child's parents, Gemma and Carl, following the incident at Hillsborough. Gemma says Houghton's deplorable act was like a "dagger to the heart".
Defoe has described Bradley as "one of the most inspirational children this world has ever seen" in an interview with the Daily Mail. The ex-footballer added: "I’m appalled and saddened by the actions of the individual in question.
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"My thoughts at this time go out to Gemma and Carl, Bradley’s parents, who shouldn’t have to deal with incidents like this, but rather be praised for the amazing work they are doing with the Bradley Lowery Foundation in their son’s memory. I urge the public to stand behind the family and continue to support the foundation and its projects.
"Bradley was one of the most inspirational children this world has ever seen, and he will never stop inspiring us. We love and miss you Brad. Love, your best friend forever."
Jermain Defoe was close with Bradley before his death in 2017 (Getty Images)Houghton, of Wickersley, was bailed on Monday and will be sentenced on November 17. District Judge James Gould described Houghton's actions as "utterly deplorable" and will consider all possible options, including a prison term.
Prosecutor Jade Scott said Houghton gave "full and frank admissions" during his police interview, in which the defendant claimed he was taking part in "enjoyable banter". Constance Coombs of the defence said her client was "disgusted by what he did".
Ms Coombs insisted there was "mutual goading" between Houghton and the Sunderland fans but he "took it too far". It's said those Sunderland fans in question were waving the Sheffield United badge. Premier League side United are Wednesday's bitter rivals.
Ms Coombs said the incident was "out of character" and that Houghton is "very remorseful for his actions". The defendant has lost his job as a window-fitter as a result of the offence and was granted bail on the condition that he doesn't go within a mile of Hillsborough on matchdays and completes a drug intervention programme.
Houghton could face a jail term when he is sentenced next month (Enterprise News and Pictures)Bradley's mum Gemma spoke to The Mirror about Houghton's actions. She said: "To be honest when I first saw it I was upset and a little bit angry, using my child in a negative light. However as the day went on and I saw the impact and the backlash the men got.
"I'm the sort of person who tries to see the good in people, so I started trying to justify their actions, they’ve just been beaten 3-0. When I did my impact victim statement I thought the backlash that they got was probably enough punishment.
"But then I got sent some messages from a group chat they’d been in which you can clearly see there was no remorse. They said that Bradley shouldn’t have got special treatment and that’s when it really, really hit us.
"It was like a dagger to my heart and I got really really upset about that. What they did was intentional and they had no remorse for doing it. That’s when I thought, 'Actually you are not very nice people and you deserve to be punished'."
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