Disgust and rage over sick jokes at Maddie and Rhys

Sep 25 2007 by Alan Weston, Liverpool Daily Post

A STAND-UP comic was booed off stage after making sick jokes about Madeleine McCann and Rhys Jones during an appearance in Liverpool.

Dave Longley was one of the performers at the week-end Comedy Central club nights, held at Baby Blue in the Albert Dock.

A member of the audience at Friday night’s show said Longley made a joke referr-ing to the fact Madeleine and Rhys regularly wore Everton FC shirts. The audience member said: “Although I’m all for comedic licence and freedom of speech, I and the rest of the audience was disgusted.

“The comedian checked how many LFC fans were in the audience, in the misguid-ed impression LFC fans would find this joke hilar-ious, compared to EFC fans.

“Safe in the knowledge the audience was at least 80% Liverpool fans, he proceeded to tell the ‘joke.’ The comic was, to the credit of all LFC fans, booed from the stage and left the premises immed-iately.”

Dave Longley could not be contacted last night, but his manager, Lee Martin, issued the a statement: “Dave was having a great gig and got a little carried away. By his own admission he made a stupid mistake and greatly regrets the ill- chosen joke. He has made a donation to the fund.”

Four-year-old Madel-eine McCann has been missing since she was apparently abducted from a holiday apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May.

Her mother, Kate, is originally from Liverpool.

Rhys Jones, 11, a keen Everton fan, was gunned down and killed in Croxteth Park last month as he was walking home from football practice.

alanweston