A COURT date has been set for the man charged with a public order offence after allegedly wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with an offensive statement about the victims of the Hillsborough disaster.

Paul Grange, aged 50, from Worcester, has been charged with a Section 5 Public Order offence, relating to the display of threatening and abusive signs and writing, likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

He has been bailed and will appear at Worcester Magistrates' Court on Friday, July 8.

A photograph of the back of a man sitting in the pub garden of the Brewers Arms in Comer Road, St John's, Worcester, on Sunday afternoon sparked outrage worldwide after it was posted across social media sites on Sunday.

The black t-shirt refers to the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, in which 96 people died, and allegedly states the tragedy was "God's way" of aiding a pest control company.

 The Worcester News has decided not to show the full slogan printed on the t-shirt.

Brewers Arms landlord Mark Daniels barred a man from the pub after he became involved in a scuffle with other punters who objected to the t-shirt.

Meanwhile, the sister of a Bromsgrove man who died at the Hillsborough tragedy says she was "disgusted" with the offensive slogan on the t-shirt, but urged supporters not to react further until justice is done.

Bromsgrove man Andrew Brookes, aged 26 at the time, was one of 96 fans who died at the stadium in 1989 that staged Liverpool's FA Cup semi-final match against Nottingham Forest.

The original verdicts of accidental death were quashed in 2012 following a campaign by the Hillsborough families, including Andrew's sister Louise, and in April she was with the families who attended the Warrington inquests, when the jury recorded a verdict that all 96 fans were unlawfully killed.

 Over the weekend, Ms Brookes said she saw the images on social media of the man wearing the black t-shirt.

She said she felt it was "very sad" someone could go to the lengths of getting a t-shirt printed, but said she was not surprised.

 "It is disgusting. I wasn't shocked though - I have had 27 years of this so nothing surprises me," Ms Brookes said.

"My brother's friends live in Worcester - this has been brought too close to home.

"I have spoken to the landlord (Mark Daniels) - as soon as he became aware he ejected him, which was the right thing to do."

Ms Brookes said she now wanted whoever was responsible to face justice, urging supporters not to react further to the incident.


"I don't want anyone getting in trouble protecting the 96, that is not what my brother would have wanted," she said.