Sunderland councillor convicted over Facebook post about Nigerians

Glenn Gibbins, a suspended Reform UK councillor in Sunderland, was convicted of malicious communication over a Facebook post suggesting Nigerians should be melted down to fill potholes. District Judge Zoe Passfield sentenced him to a 12-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.

The post, made on March 19, 2024, said: “Carnt believe amount of Nigerians in town should melt them all down and fill in the pot holes!!” Gibbins was convicted after denying that the message was grossly offensive. The charge was brought under the Communications Act 2003.

Gibbins told the court the post was intended as a tongue-in-cheek joke, not a literal threat. Judge Passfield found that it was grossly offensive and targeted Nigerians as an ethnic minority. She said the post reduced them to the status of tarmac. She also concluded that it was not a genuine expression of political views and had no wider context about immigration.

Prosecutor Emma Dowling said the reference to melting people conjured up “despicable images” and implied Nigerians were less than human. Godwin Ejeh, a community leader representing Nigerians in Sunderland, told the court that...