Whitby man convicted for sending offensive Hillsborough messages after Manchester United v Liverpool game
A Whitby man has been convicted of sending offensive messages on social media in relation to the Manchester United v Liverpool fixture in March 2024.
Tommy Jobling, 22, of Whitby, North Yorkshire pleaded guilty after distributing offensive messages and videos through WhatsApp when the teams played in March 2024.
The messages, sent direct to a Liverpool fan that Jobling knew from online gaming, referred to the Hillsborough disaster in an offensive manner and he was later charged with malicious communications.
He appeared at Manchester and Salford Magistrates Court on Friday September 20 and was subsequently issued with a 12-month community order, 20 rehabilitation days and 80 hours of unpaid work.
He also received a fine, costs and victim surcharge totalling £319.
PC Matthew Ford, Football Banning Officer for Greater Manchester Police said: “Like previous seasons, now with the football schedule in full flow we want to make it clear to any supporters still intent on causing distress through any form of tragedy chanting, we will be taking robust action to highlight that we, along with the clubs and vast majority of fans, will not tolerate it.
“We would also like to remind people that they can continue to report offences direct to us in person, by speaking to officers deployed at games so we can act there and then.
“We will also continue to liaise with both clubs ahead of fixtures to ensure supporter groups are engaged in our proactive approach to identifying offences around tragedy chanting as we understand the concern, distress, and upset this causes whenever fans unfortunately experience it.
“It has no place in the game.”