Man who mocked police deaths loses jail appeal

A man who wore an anti–police T–shirt in public only hours after the killing of policewoman Nicola Hughes from Saddleworth and her colleague Fiona Bone has lost an appeal against his sentence.

Barry Thew (39) was seen in his home town of Radcliffe, wearing a T–shirt which carried hand–written comments of “One less pig; perfect justice” and “Killacopforfun.com haha”.

Less than three and a half hours earlier, PCs Nicola and Fiona Bone, had been shot dead in a gun and grenade attack as they responded to a reported burglary.

Thew, of Wolsey Street, pleaded guilty to the public order offence at Manchester Crown Court.

On October 11 he was sentenced to four months in jail and received an additional four months after he admitted breaching the terms of a previous suspended jail term.

The Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge, sitting with Mr Justice Fulford and Mr Justice Bean, at the Court of Appeal in London, said the eight–month term was not “arguably excessive”.

He said that the day of the murders was a dreadful one in Manchester and Thew, who openly admitted hating the police as he held them responsible for the death of his son, committed the offence in a highly charged environment.