Police have arrested two men after sick football yobs ‘taunted’ Sunderland fans with a picture of tragic cancer victim Bradley Lowery.
Yesterday pictures surfaced of two Sheffield Wednesday fans, now thought to be brothers Dale and Drew Houghton, holding up a phone with a picture of young Bradley.
South Yorkshire Police have now revealed two men aged 31 and 27 were arrested and held in custody overnight.
Bradley Lowery died in 2017 after the young Sunderland fan was diagnosed with a rare cancer neuroblastoma when he was just 18 months old. His story touched many hearts across the world – during his brave battle he was even a special guest of BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year in 2016.
Of the taunting, his heartbroken mother Gemma said: ‘This is so hard for me to see’ in a Facebook post by The Bradley Foundation, adding: ‘What ever happened to cancer has no colours, let alone respect for a family that lost their baby to cancer.’
Police have arrested two men after sick football yobs ‘taunted’ Sunderland fans with a picture of tragic cancer victim Bradley Lowery
Cancer victim Bradley Lowery and Jermain Defoe pictured on February 25, 2017
South Yorkshire Police have now revealed two men were arrested ad held in custody overnight. The men in the picture were named as Dale and Drew Houghton on social media
South Yorkshire Police today said: ‘Officers have arrested two men in connection to an ongoing investigation into public order offences following a football match.
‘On September 29 two men were reported to have carried out an act of outraging public decency following the Sheffield Wednesday V Sunderland fixture held at Hillsborough.
‘Officers arrested two men aged 31 and 27 on suspicion of outraging public decency. They both remain in police custody.
‘We are in the early stages of our investigation and continue to urge anyone who believes they have information that can assist to get in touch online, via live chat or by calling 101.’
The ‘brothers’ were pictured at the 3-0 defeat, with one holding up a zoomed-in picture of the Black Cats fan in home kit on his phone, while the other laughed at him for brazenly displaying the picture for all the stadium to see.
Gemma thanked the football community for their support but urged fans to let the police ‘deal with the low lives’.
A Sheffield Wednesday spokesperson told Mail Sport: ‘We are aware of the images circulating and have launched an immediate investigation together with South Yorkshire Police.’
Responding to the club’s statement, The Bradley Foundation added: ‘Thank you for your support and quick condemnation of these actions, it really means a lot to the family.’
Dale’s former employer JRI Orthopaedics came out and condemned the pair’s actions which have ’caused upset to so many people’. The company said he had not been employed by the business for some time.
Dale Houghton (pictured) is revealed as one of the brothers who appeared to mock little cancer victim Bradley Lowery’s memory at a Sheffield Wednesday game
Drew Houghton (pictured) and his brother laughed as one of them held up a photo of Bradley Lowery after a 3-0 defeat
‘We roundly condemn this completely outrageous and utterly deplorable behaviour. We can only apologise for the undoubted distress caused to Bradley’s family and friends.’
As the image of the brothers circulated on X, formerly Twitter, supporters were quick to decry the hurtful nature of the behaviour, with many condemning the act as ‘disgusting’ and calling for lifelong bans for the two ‘low lives’.
One fan wrote: ‘This is disgusting… Bradley Lowery will forever be an incredibly young boy, don’t disrespect the dead.’
A fundraising page has since been set up to raise money for the Bradley Lowery foundation.
Content source – www.soundhealthandlastingwealth.com
