Sunderland councillor Glenn Gibbins sentenced over Facebook post about Nigerians

A Sunderland councillor has been sentenced to a 12-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work after a court ruled that a Facebook post he wrote about Nigerians was grossly offensive. A Guardian report published on 9 November 2026 gives the sentence. A community order is a sentence served outside prison, under conditions set by the court.

The councillor, Glenn Gibbins, is 66 and was voted onto Sunderland City Council in May as a member of Reform UK, the political party. He has been suspended as a Reform councillor, according to the BBC.

The case was heard at South Tyneside magistrates' court in South Shields, the lower criminal court that handles less serious cases. District judge Zoe Passfield ruled that the post breached the Malicious Communications Act, a law covering offensive messages, and was grossly offensive. The post, written in March 2024, read: "Carnt believe the amount of nigerians in town… should melt them all down and fill in the pot holes!!" Gibbins wrote it two years before he was elected to the council.

Gibbins denied breaching the Communications Act by posting a grossly offensive message on Facebook, the BBC reported. He has described the post as "naughty", according to the Telegraph.

Godwin Ejeh, who leads the Nigerian community in Sunderland, was called as a witness in the trial.

Gibbins's defence lawyer, Adam King, said his client would appeal the decision to the crown court, the higher court that hears appeals from magistrates' courts.