Barry Thew loses appeal over offensive t-shirt sentence
A man sent to prison after wearing an offensive T-shirt on the day two police officers were killed has lost his appeal against his sentence.
A man sent to prison after wearing an offensive T-shirt on the day two police officers were killed has lost his appeal against his sentence.
Barry Thews appeal to have his sentence reduced for wearing an offensive t-shirt just hours after PCs Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone were tragically killed has been dismissed.
The two officers died in a gun and grenade attack when they responded to a call to a report of a suspected burglary at a house in Greater Manchester.
Just hours later, Thew was arrested wearing a t-shirt bearing the words “one less pig, perfect justice” on a street in the same city. In October he was given a jail term of eight months.
Today, Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge dismissed an appeal against the sentence, saying the jail term was not “arguably excessive”.
Lord Judge said Thews hatred of the police was a result of holding officers responsible for the death of his son.
“This was a most serious offence. It sent out the sort of message just at the time, and in just the place, where it constituted a true risk to the peace of the streets.”
“It would have taken very little on that day for violence to erupt against those – or as a result of seeing those – who appeared to condone, if not glory, in the fact that those police officers had been killed.”
Dale Cregan has been charged with the officers` deaths as well as two further murders and four attempted murders.