A suspended Reform UK councillor, Glenn Gibbins, has been convicted of sending a grossly offensive message on Facebook in which he said Nigerians should be melted down and used to fill potholes.
Gibbins, 66, who sits on Sunderland City Council, was found guilty of a malicious communication following a trial at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court on Monday, November 9. He had denied breaching the Communications Act, telling the court the post was a “tongue-in-cheek” joke.
The court sentenced him to 150 hours of unpaid work as part of a 12-month community order.
The post, published in March 2024, two years before he was elected, read: “Carnt believe the amount of Nigerians in town… should melt them all down and fill in the pot holes!!”
It came to light when the anti-racism group Hope Not Hate went through his social media posts after he was announced as a Reform UK candidate for Sunderland City Council. Police were informed after he was elected.
Prosecuting, Emma Dowling told the court: “The comment about melting them down conjures up despicable images.” She said the remark implied that Nigerians were “somewhat less than human, stripping people in that group of humanity.”
Reform UK had already suspended Gibbins after the post surfaced.
His legal team will appeal the verdict at the crown court.
