Barry Thew jailed for T-shirt mocking PCs' deaths
 

A man from Greater Manchester who wore a T-shirt daubed with offensive comments about the killing of two police officers has been jailed.

Barry Thew, 39, was arrested wearing the top with the words "one less pig perfect justice" hours after the deaths of PCs Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes.

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/image...shirtfront.jpg

He admitted a public order offence and was jailed for four months at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester.

Insp Bryn Williams said after the case that the T-shirt had been "appalling".

A police spokesman said Thew, of Worsley Street, Radcliffe, had been arrested after being seen wearing the T-shirt in Radcliffe town centre "just hours" after the constables died in a gun and grenade attack in Mottram on 18 September.

Mr Williams said: "While officers on the ground were just learning of and trying to come to terms with the devastating news that two colleagues had been killed, Thew thought nothing of going out in public with a shirt daubed with appalling handwritten comments on."

'Darkest hour'

Thew was also sentenced to a further four months for breaching the conditions of an earlier 12-month suspended sentence for the possession of cannabis.

The funerals for the PCs saw saw members of the public join police officers to pay tribute to them
The two PCs were killed after being called to a house in Mottram, Tameside, on 18 September.

Their funerals took place in Manchester on 3 and 4 October and saw members of the public join police officers on the city's streets to pay tribute to them.

Mr Williams said that "the overwhelming response from the public, who have inundated us with messages of support and condolence, proves that Thew is the exception and not the rule and our communities were right behind us at our darkest hour".

Dale Cregan, 29, has been charged with the officers' murders.


What a moron:bored:, justice well served.

Disgusting. I wonder how he would feel if one of those police officers were his wife, sister, mother or another member of his family or friends? I think the word "pig" here is better related to himself.

How silly to jail him, wonder where we'll draw the line at imprisoning people for every little thing considered disrespectful or offensive, seems to be becoming more and more of a trend in this country and I don't like it

It's a shame we have to jail people for things like this. Unfortunately, we do because the freedoms we enjoy are abused by people like him. I hope his sentence serves as a deterrent to every *******wit with a half-baked idea of what freedom of speech actually means.

Yes a T-Shirt

Asking for Trouble

To be fair this is worse than the guy that was jailed for three months for making jokes about April Jones on Facebook. If we're seriously going to start going down that road how about we jail the hundreds of thousands of people who have ever contributed to, read or quoted jokes on Sickipedia?

The only reason he was jailed was because it is such a high-profile case and because they want to look like they're doing something about it. Pathetic.

police always look after their own,not that i think this moron with the t shirt is right.

What a cretin

Mixed feelings about this one, whilst I agree this disgusting piece of slime should be banged up for wearing such an offensive T shirt, I can't help wondering what is happening to our freedom of speech and expression. Is the Fascist state just around the corner like George Orwell's novel 1984 with the thought police in full control.

"One less pig" was said all over twitter and by alot of people I know.


Time to build new Prisons I think. I genuinely don't feel much for the whole Police shooting story anyway. Yeah, it's sad for their families etc, but It's been thrust down our throat so much, I am getting sick of it. When the Police wrongfully kill someone it is usually brushed aside,covered up and forgotten.


Meh.

Don't think he should've been jailed. He is a total twat though. They should've just named and shamed him and maybe a fine and community service, that would've been enough.

I don't think that a couple of people spouting disgusting, offensive insults do much to highlight people's right to freedom of speech. Neither do I think prosecuting these people makes us a fascist state complete with thought police. If he'd worn a teeshirt with 'David Cameron is a tosser' on it, no one would have prosecuted him for that. Freedom of speech is not a licence to insult and degrade people because you think you ought to be able to. Besides, only part of his sentence was to do with the teeshirt.

As much as it's tasteless and disrespectful (he's a moron for wearing it), it's hardly an arrestable offence. I know he was arrested for other stuff too, but the t-shirt part is ridiculous.

It must be hard to see colleagues murdered and turn the other cheek while this idiot laughs about it. The police aren't robots. Feelings were running high.And it was a member of the public who called the police. I'm not at all surprised he was arrested, particularly considering he was wanted on outstanding warrants.

Hey UKt x

Just like the guy that made those comments about April Jones, at most he should of been fined or given community service..Going to jail for stuff like that is ridiculous

Perhaps people would feel more strongly about cases like this if they were closer to home? You know... if you were a police officer, or married to one... or it was your brother or sister.

Perhaps but I don't exactly see the relevance of that here, in pretty much every case your reaction is likely to vary depending on the extent of your emotional involvement

Isn't that when empathy comes into play? Empathy for the people he's ridiculing and goading?

I remember the Muamba case with the guy who went to prison for saying stuff on twitter, there were hundreds doing it yet he's the scapegoat

Either you imprison them all or you don't use prison as an option, if you're not going to use it for every case. I know that doesn't really apply here, but still, I'm not sure prison is meant for these cases

I think it's meant to act as a deterrent. Perhaps people will realise that their actions are unacceptable because they obviously haven't learned that from anywhere else?

I don't think having empathy necessarily leads to wanting him locked up

I'm not emotionally involved in this case, but I can see the reasons for him being banged up and I agree with them. We're going to have to agree to disagree on this one MTVN.

If I recall correctly Liam Stacey also made derogatory comments and threats towards other users too and a number of complaints were made about him to the police via the public, although I agree that action only seems to be taken in high profile cases, whilst this kind of thing goes on every day towards ordinary people, with no action being taken. I am not sure what conditions the authorities take into account regarding such a decision however.

It really sticks in my craw when some effectively dehumanize the police, in both this and the moat case many were cheering the crimes commited against officers!
One less pig eh?
well next time the police shoot some gun toting dealer my t-shirt will read 'one less drug pushing dickhead'!

It really sticks in my craw when some effectively dehumanize the police, in both this and the moat case many were cheering the crimes commited against officers!
One less pig eh?
well next time the police shoot some gun toting dealer my t-shirt will read 'one less drug pushing dickhead'!