Former Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe expressed his shock and sadness as a Sheffield Wednesday supporter, Dale Houghton, mocked the late Bradley Lowery during a match. Houghton, 31, admitted to a public order offence in Sheffield magistrates’ court on Monday after taunting opposition fans with an image of the six-year-old cancer victim.
Defoe, who formed a close bond with Bradley Lowery, referred to the young boy as his “best mate.” Bradley lost his battle with neuroblastoma in 2017 at the age of six. Defoe condemned Houghton’s actions and called Bradley “one of the most inspirational children this world has ever seen.
