Royal Navy sailor under investigation for offensive comments about Wales
Warning – this article contains offensive content and sexually explicit language.
Emily Price
A Royal Navy sailor has been placed under investigation by the Ministry of Defence after he posted offensive, misogynistic and anti-Welsh comments online.
Nation.Cymru launched a probe looking at the social media accounts of Michael McSherry after a concerned member of the public tipped us off about his “hideous views”.
We found a catalogue of offensive content including vile comments about Wales and highly offensive posts about women including jokes about having sex with his own mother and his nan being tipped out of her wheelchair.
Posting on a Welsh TikTok star’s videos, McSherry described Wales as a “shithole” and called for a wall to be built along the border.
He added: “I’ve been to Wales I had to wipe my feet on the way out”.
After the TikTok star drew attention to one the offensive comments by sharing it in a video, McSherry posted again: “Stop your lies you’re hard as fuck I remind you of your sheep.”
We took a look at McSherry’s Facebook page and found he was a Royal Naval Rating from Newcastle upon Tyne based in Angus, Scotland.
A Royal Naval Rating is a junior sailor in the Navy – equivalent to a Private in the Army.
Parade
Images shared online showed the junior sailor had indeed visited Wales when he took part in the Queen’s Parade in Cardiff where he was photographed carrying a weapon in his Navy uniform.
Nation.Cymru’s investigation found offensive sexist and misogynistic comments posted to McSherry’s Facebook page describing women as “fat birds” and “sweaty goths” as well as sharing graphic videos.
In one social media post, McSherry shared a screen grab of a text conversation on a dating app in which he wrote: “Me dick is fucking massive… I know it is because my mam still can’t sit straight and wont look me in the eyes anymore…”
Banned
In another Facebook post he said: “Fucking hate trains me l’ve got some fat bird behind me hyperventilating because she walked 10 fucking yards from the platform to the train absolute picture of health and some bloke sat next to me who’s breath smells like he tucked into a nice medium rare pile of dog shit before he got on.”
In another post he wrote: “£30 on nails £60 on hair £20 on tan £30 on makeup and ya fanny still smells like a chippy on good Friday.”
McSherry also boasted about being “banned” from the dating app Tinder. The junior sailor said following the ban he had attempted to get his account reinstated – but Tinder declined.
He described receiving a customer service email from the dating app afterwards from an agent called ‘Douglas’.
Sharing the screen grabs of the email chain he said: “Got banned off Tinder for griefing some goth then emailed them to get it back they obviously said no then followed up with that email I’ll head lock Douglas’s nana and give her a short back and sides the daft c***.”
Graphic
The Navy Rating also shared graphic videos and images including a man being pepper sprayed in the face by police and a couple having sex on the upper floor of a double decker bus.
One image shared by McSherry with laughing emojis showed a man on the floor covered in blood with the caption: “Me texting my girl & letting her know that I just got shot and I’m about to die to avoid later arguments.”
We also found several posts where the Royal Naval Rating appeared to joke about physically assaulting women.
In one comment he talked about giving a woman a “hefty right” to “get them in check” and in another he said that a woman who enjoys watching football should “stick to love island” before he “side tackles” her.
We also found that despite McSherry serving in the Navy for several years, he was regularly posting disparaging remarks about his employer.
In one post he wrote: “Can’t wait to fucking leave this job man. I’d rather guide my dad into my mam than do this shit any longer.”
In another post he said the Royal Navy was letting any “retard” serve.
Reputation
Social media rules for those serving in the Royal Navy state that what ever is shared online must not “jeopardise the reputation of the Royal Navy”.
Guidance states: “As a general rule, if you have to think about whether what you’re posting is appropriate, it’s probably not worth the risk.”
Nation.Cymru sent the findings of our investigation to the Ministry of Defence and directed them to take a look at the social media accounts of McSherry.
Shortly after we requested a statement, McSherry disabled his Facebook account.
A Royal Navy spokesperson said: “The Royal Navy has a zero-tolerance to unacceptable behaviours and have a clear social media policy.
“While this is investigated it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
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I read the papers on line every day and when there is a story about Wales in them the comments that come from English people are degrading derogatry and Racist so they are no different to what this pratt is saying most of the comments come in the daily mail
Nothing new. In the 1980s as an RAF child, I was called a sheep sha**er by English adults (aged maybe 6). The forces sense of fun is highly bigotry.
Where were you stationed and schooled, if I may be permitted to know? My other half was one a decade before you…
Pa syndod. Aelod o fyddin y concwerwyr.
Two blots on the copybook in a week for the Andrew, three if one disagrees with Sunak blooding himself and Mr ‘lets make a failed state in North Africa’ Cameron with Mr Alias Alias MP putting their names to the ‘order to fire’…
I read a good piece in the Guardian by a Cardiff academic by the name of Amal Saad (lecturer in InterPol) on the subject…
Well, he can’t hide in the Navy all his life even if they don’t kick him out, so let’s hope he manages to grow up before they turn him loose into the real world.
ukip candidate?
Possibly, but definitely a product of UKIP.
‘Closing the stable door after the horse has bolted’ or disabling a Facebook account when the contents written are already out there. What a pointless action unless it is designed to help as a defence in a disciplinary hearing, presumably in which the documented hate tirades will be presented regardless.
he said the Royal Navy was letting any “retard” serve, he certainly got that right
He needs to be reported to heddlu for hate speech!
Good god if you are offended by the aforementioned you should have heard the abuse and banter throw at us and in common usage in the 1980s Army. My best mate in training ns for many years after was from Blackwood and got never ending Welsh stereotypical jibes as did I having gone to private school and bieng very tall. At the end of the day when push came to shove it mattered not where you came from we all had each other’s back and would no hesitate to put our lives on the line for each other. Dark humour,… Read more »