LONDON: A man who posted abusive anti-Muslim messages online alongside topless photos of himself holding a gun has been jailed for four years.Jay Davison, 38, said in posts on Instagram that people should “stand up”, referenced decapitation, and used insulting phrases associated with Nazism and white supremacy.Cardiff Crown Court was previously told the electrician uploaded the posts on August 6 last year after a night of drinking and that he clearly intended to target Muslims.On Monday, prosecutor Jennifer Josephs said the content of Davison’s messages was “extremely offensive” and said he had refused to help police locate the firearm.Josephs said: “It involves two original posts and a series of comments on those photos. They include pictures of him with his shirt off holding a gun.“We don’t know where (the gun) is. I’m not seeking to argue it’s a live weapon, but we can’t accept what he says because your honour will recall in interview and at trial he declined to say who has the gun and where it is.”Josephs said despite the posts causing a “great deal of upset”, there was no evidence they had caused anyone “taking action and being spurred on” by them.Though the messages were originally confined to 394 followers on his private Instagram account, they were copied and sent over WhatsApp to others who raised the alarm with police.Armed officers arrested him at his home in Rhiwbina, Cardiff, and though he admitted uploading the posts, he denied any offensive intent.Last month, a jury found Davison guilty of publishing material with intent to stir up religious hatred and two counts of publishing material with intent to stir up racial hatred. But he was found not guilty of two other counts of stirring up religious hatred.Hashim Salman, defending, said a pre-sentence report found Davison was “unlikely to hold views as part of a discriminatory ideology” and called his actions “impulsive”. Salman added: “He says he is disgusted and embarrassed with himself.”Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said: “You posed with a firearm, stripped to the waist so people could see your tattoos. You then posted the photos to Instagram, together with a group of extremely offensive comments, intended to stir up racial and religious hatred. You obviously intended to appear as someone in possession of a working firearm.” Davison was sentenced to four years in jail.
09-24-2019, 07:01 PM
Man jailed for stirring up religious hatred with topless gun photos
العرض العادي
