Man who mocked Bradley Lowery death banned from any football match for five years

He's been given a 12-week suspended prison sentence

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.

Bradley was a Sunderland supporter before his death to cancer in 2017.

His actions were branded "disgraceful".

Bradley’s bravery and spirit endeared him to the nation and made him a friend of footballer Jermain Defoe, 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.”