Anger at Jo Brand’s acid hurling joke

Claim of conspiracy as ex-Saints coach caged

ROW Comedian Jo Brand JO Brand sparked anger after talking about throwing acid rather than milkshakes over politicians.

The comedian, 61, joked about hurling battery acid at “unpleasant characters” while on BBC Radio 4’s Heresy on Tuesday.

She was asked about divisions stoked by Brexit in a discussion with host Victoria Coren Mitchell.

Brand said: “Why bother with milkshake, when you could get battery acid?”

She added: “I’m not gonna do it, it’s a fantasy.”

But Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage said: “This is incitement of violence and the police need to act.”

The BBC responded: “Heresy is a comedy show where panellists say things which are not intended to be taken seriously.” DION RAITT FORMER PETERBOROUGH TRAINEE A NETWORK of Britain’s worst football paedophiles worked together during their campaigns of abuse, it is claimed.

Former Southampton “star maker” Bob Higgins, 66, jailed for 24 years yesterday for attacks on 24 boys, had links to serial offender Barry Bennell and suspected predator Michael “Kit” Carson.

They are believed to have been part of a network which players, coaches and victims told the Mirror worked at clubs across England.

One ex-Southampton coach said: “Higgins, Carson and Bennell were an item. They took teams to Sweden, where Carson ended up.”

Carson died in a car crash in January, on the day he was due to face trial on abuse charges. Last year Bennell,

65, was jailed for 30 years after being convicted of 50 counts of abuse during a career which involved ties with Manchester City and Crewe.

Higgins and Bennell were photographed together in 1986 at a UK parade of junior teams. Bennell also ran youth side Manchester Senrab with Frank Roper, a former Blackpool scout, now deceased, who abused former England star Paul Stewart. Andy Woodward, the ex-Crewe player who sparked the probe into the scandal in 2016, is convinced Bennell was part of a network. He said: “I remember being in the car with Barry when he met up with Frank Roper. Definitely there was a network.”

And former Chelsea star Gary Johnson believes his abuser at the club, chief scout Eddie Heath, was also involved. Gary said: “We didn’t know about collaboration between the ringleaders at the time. Now it all makes sense.” Smirking Higgins joked in the dock at Winchester crown court before being jailed for 46 counts of indecent assault from 1971 to 1996. Most victims were players at Southampton and Peterborough Utd. Former Peterborough trainee Dion Raitt questioned why Higgins was allowed to work despite warnings about his predatory behaviour. He said: “Football was our lives, our dreams – it was all that mattered. Higgins used that to exploit our vulnerability.” Hampshire Police said no evidence was found of a wider conspiracy in the Higgins inquiry but any new allegations will be investigated. Southampton has offered an “unreserved apology” to trainees who were abused by Higgins.

Football was our dreams. Higgins used that to exploit us.