Bradley Lowery: Man, 31, charged with public order offence after image allegedly mocked at match

A 31-year-old man has been charged with a public order offense after an image of a six-year-old Sunderland fan dying of cancer was shown during a football match.

Dale Houghton, from Rotherham, will appear at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on Monday morning in connection with the incident, which took place during Friday’s Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland.

Police said they have also applied for a football ban.

A 27-year-old man, also arrested on Saturday, has been released on bail while further investigations are carried out.

Houghton was taken into custody.

Following the incident, more than £11,000 was raised for The Bradley Lowery Foundation, a charity set up after his death in 2017.

The Sheffield Wednesday Football Club Women’s Supporters’ Group set up a GoFundMe page on Saturday, which has now exceeded its initial target of £5,000.

The money will go towards a holiday home the foundation is building in Scarborough, which it called Super Brads Pad.

The Sunderland fan captured the nation’s heart during his battle with neuroblastoma, but succumbed to the disease in 2017 at the age of six.

He was a mascot for his beloved club and led England at Wembley alongside former Black Cats striker Jermain Defoe in the months before his death.