An Oakham man has been found not guilty of stirring up racial hatred on social media posts
It related to an incident before and after the Southport attacks
Last updated 28th Oct 2024
A former prison officer from Oakham in Rutland has been found not guilty of stirring up racial hatred in a series of social media posts shared before and after the Southport attacks.
4\5 year-old Mark Heath denied publishing "threatening, abusive or insulting" posts on X, formerly Twitter, between July 22 and August 6 this year.
He told the court they were his "strong opinions" and "did not encourage violence".
Jurors at Loughborough Courthouse, acting as Leicester Crown Court, acquitted him after they were shown screenshots of his posts throughout the week-long trial.
Mr Heath, whose X profile had more than 6,000 followers, told the court he is "right wing" but does not consider himself "far-right".
The court heard that Mr Heath, who had been employed at HMP Peterborough over a period of five years, had reposted rally dates originally published by political activist Tommy Robinson.
Mr Heath, of Kestrel Road, Oakham, Rutland, previously told jurors he believed that people who rioted after the Southport attacks are "stupid" and he "condemns them 100%".
He added: "At no point of any of my posts that had anything to do with riots do I encourage or endorse a call to arms. That is not who I am.
"I do have strong opinions and express those opinions but at no point was I trying to stir up racial hatred or did I think that it was likely to stir anything up."
Prosecution barrister Lyndon Harris summarised the Crown's case on Thursday, telling the jury: "(Mr Heath) intended others to share his views - to share the hate he described for Muslims, immigrants and non-British people.
"The intention, we say, was perfectly clear to stir up racial hatred in the context of the riots and disorder this summer."
Mr Heath's defence barrister, Christopher Surtees-Jones, told the jury that "the views expressed by Mr Heath are also expressed in the public domain by politicians and others on a regular basis".
He said that the defendant had the "strong belief" that X was a "safe place for freedom of speech" and he makes clear his posts are his opinion.
Mr Surtees-Jones added: "Strong views are lawfully held views whether you agree with them or not."
On hearing the verdict, Mr Heath, who sat in a wheelchair in the dock wearing a red T-shirt, punched the air with two fists.
Judge Timothy Spencer KC thanked the jury for its service and discharged the defendant.