Surrey man sentenced for sending grossly offensive online messages
A man from Horley has been given a suspended prison sentence after posting racist and anti-Semitic messages online that promoted extremist views
A man has been sentenced after sharing thousands of grossly offensive messages on social media from his home in Surrey.
He appeared at Guildford Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 7 May, where he was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months. He was also ordered to take part in a rehabilitation programme with the Probation Service.
The 50-year-old, Derek Smith, of Raleigh Drive, Horley, had previously pleaded guilty at the same court on 31 December to four charges under Section 127(1)(a) of the Communications Act 2003.
The court heard that Smith came to the attention of Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) after an online referral was made about racist and anti-Semitic content posted from a social media account.
On 23 January last year, officers arrested Smith at his home. Inside the property, they found a laptop turned on and logged into a public social media profile. Investigators discovered that since creating the account in May 2020, Smith had made more than 40,000 posts.
Many of the messages referred to Hitler, racism, immigration, and other extremist views. The posts included abusive content aimed at Black, transgender and Jewish people, as well as Government bodies, charities and immigrants.
Detective Chief Superintendent Claire Finlay, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing South East, said: “Smith sent several messages that most people would find grossly offensive, particularly targeting minority groups and advocating harm against them. These posts reflected his extreme views, and he undoubtedly caused harm by spreading his hatred online.”
Anyone concerned about someone expressing extreme views or hatred is encouraged to report it to the police by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency. Extremist material can also be reported online at www.gov.uk/act.