A criminal who is a Manchester United shirt mocking the victims of the Hillsborough disaster has been jailed for 24 years for rape, sexual assault and a campaign of violent abuse.
James White was banned from every football pitch in the country in 2023 after pleading guilty to displaying threatening or insulting texts likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
The 36-year-old had worn a United jersey with the number 97 on the back and the words ‘Not Enough’ at the club match. FA Cup Final with Manchester city.
White, who was branded “abhorrent” by a judge and criticized by survivors of the tragedy, which left 97 supporters Liverpool crushed to death during the 1989 FA Cup semi-final, was arrested last year.
One victim told a relative she had been attacked by White, who then fled his address in Warwickshire. She added that White had used a knife to cut her abdomen and suffered bruising to her face, as well as injuries to her back and torso.
White pleaded not guilty to assault, sexual assault, rape and domestic violence. He was subsequently found guilty of all charges at Warwick Crown Court in June.
James White has been jailed for 24 years for rape, sexual assault and a campaign of violent abuse
He was banned from Old Trafford after wearing a shirt that mocked the victims of the Hillsborough disaster
Detective Constable Baylie Cairns, of Warwickshire Police, said White subjected the victim to “a campaign of horrific abuse, violence and sexual assault” and that his sentence “prevents him from posing a risk to the victim and others.
Cairns added: “She showed remarkable bravery and courage when she spoke to me about the crimes committed against her.”
In his previous case, District Judge Mark Jabbitt said it was ‘difficult to imagine a more…offensive reference to the 1989 Hillsborough disaster’.
Ten years ago, a series of investigations revealed that the fans had been unlawfully killed.
White bizarrely told police officers that the T-shirt was in reference to his grandfather, who died at the age of 97 “and didn’t have enough children.”
He was fined £1,000, ordered to pay £485 in costs and banned from all British matches for four years.
A shocked United said it had handed White an indefinite ban.
“Mocking Hillsborough and other football tragedies are completely unacceptable and the club will continue to support strong action to eradicate this from football,” a spokesperson said at the time.
