Call for Sheffield councillor to resign after 'offensive' tweet

Coun Neale Gibson, Labour member for Walkley, tweeted a link to a court case about a man who was jailed for raping a 13-year-old girl.

The tweet said the man "becomes the 35th member of the latest Muslim grooming gang to be sentenced".

In response to the link, Coun Gibson said: “Well, considering the number of innocents murdered and raped by soldiers of the British state over the years...”

Lord Paul Scriven, a Liberal Democrat peer has called for him to resign.

Lord Scriven, a former Leader of the Council, said: “At a time of national crisis, when people look to their elected representatives to show leadership and to roll up their sleeves and help people who are struggling, we have a councillor whose only contribution is to sit behind his keyboard and cause offence.

“He brings shame on his ward, the office of a councillor and on Sheffield and it's time for him to resign.”

Other tweeters were quick to respond too, calling Coun Gibson ‘a pig’, ‘a sicko’ and an ‘absolute disgrace’.

One said: “You are like the Katie Hopkins of Sheffield - just grow up.”

Coun Gibson was unavailable for comment, but it is not the first time he's been in trouble.

In October 2018, he was reprimanded by the Labour Group after making ‘extremely insensitive’ comments on social media about the death of a teenage girl.

The council also investigated allegations he was behind a fake twitter account which abused members of the public and political opponents’ but said there was no proof.

In January 2019, Labour removed him from a licensing committee after questions were raised about his company being linked to an escort business.

A council investigation found Coun Gibson not guilty of wrongdoing, but the Labour Group stood by its decision.

In November 2019, he breached the code of conduct and had the whip removed by Labour.

No details were released but it is believed the complaints were made by a member of the public and upheld by the standards board.