A Manchester United fan chuckled as he was banned from football games after wearing a shirt mocking Hillsborough victims at the FA Cup final.
James White, of Warwickshire, pleaded guilty to displaying threatening or abusive writing likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress at Willesden Magistrates' Court on Monday. The 33-year-old chuckled and smiled in the dock as he received a four-year football ban and was fined £1,000 on Monday, June 19.
The court heard he wore a Manchester United shirt with the number 97 and the words “Not Enough” on the back to the FA Cup final on June 3. Manchester City won the FA Cup at Wembley, beating Manchester United 2-1.
READ MORE: Smirking Manchester United fan pleads guilty to wearing shirt mocking Hillsborough victims
Ninety-seven football fans died as a result of a crush at a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield on April 15 1989.
District judge Mark Jabbitt said: “It is hard to imagine a more … offensive reference to the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.”
The judge added that the shirt White wore bore a “hateful expression” – calling it an “abhorrent message” – and that the impact of his actions are “profound and distressing”.
After White was arrested at Wembley Stadium, the court heard he was cautioned and told police: “You haven’t even asked me what the T-shirt means.
“My grandad died aged 97 and didn’t have enough kids.”
The prosecution said White had “many” previous convictions, dating most recently to 2021, but none were football-related.
Police received a series of emails from people who saw an image of the shirt online.
The court heard how members of the public wrote that they were “absolutely devastated” and “disgusted” by it.
Diane Lynn, vice chair of Hillsborough Survivor Supporters Alliance, said it was “very personal” for people who were at Hillsborough that day and that survivors suffered with “guilt”.
“How dare he make us feel like this,” she said.
The defence told the court that White “deeply regrets” his actions and accepts he “hurt people very deeply”.
The Football Association previously welcomed his arrest in strongly-worded statement that said there would be zero tolerance for such incidents. An FA statement read: "The FA strongly condemns the actions of the individual who wore a shirt referencing the Hillsborough disaster ahead of the Emirates FA Cup final at Wembley.
"We saw a photograph of the offensive shirt on social media and immediately started working to identify the perpetrator. Our security teams were able to quickly locate the individual based on the image, and we welcome the swift action which was then taken by the police.
"We will not tolerate abuse relating to the Hillsborough of any football tragedy at Wembley Stadium and we will continue to work with the authorities to ensure strong action is taken against the perpetrators."
An inquest jury ruled in 2016 that the victims of Hillsborough were unlawfully killed amid a number of police errors.
White was banned from all regulated football games in the UK for four years and was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay a surcharge of £400 and £85 in costs.
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