A woman has been jailed for 15 months after admitting posting a message online to ‘blow up a mosque’.
Julie Sweeney, 53, left her home in Churchlawton, Cheshire, in the local community on August 3 Facebook made the comment to the group, which was later reported to the police.
A photo, which showed a number of white and Asian people taking part in a clean-up campaign after the violence in Southport, was posted by Julie Sweeney, who wrote: ‘This is absolutely ridiculous. Mosques Do not protect Mosques should be blown up when there are adults in it.’
He admitted sending a message containing a threat to cause death or serious harm at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday.
Sentencing, the Honorable Recorder of Chester Judge Steven Everett said: ‘I don’t think anyone is suggesting that the accused would have been involved herself but so-called keyboard warriors like her have to learn to take responsibility for their language, especially In the context of the unrest going on across the country.
Prosecutor Sarah Badrawi told the court that one of the 5,100 members of a Facebook community group posted on the website in the wake of widespread violence and abuse following the deaths of three young girls in Southport on June 29. The comments were ‘doubted’.
This section contains related reference points (Related Nodes field).
Sarah Badrawi said that the concerned member found the post ‘objectionable’ and she ‘didn’t like reading it.’ The post was later deleted, the court was told.
The court was told that when Julie Sweeney was arrested, she told officers: ‘I’m not being rude but a lot of people are saying that.’
He said he wrote the comment ‘out of anger’ and had ‘no intention of scaring people.’ At the same time, she admitted that it was ‘unacceptable’ and that she would ‘delete Facebook’.
Lawyer John Keane, defending her, said: ‘She accepts it was foolishness. That was one comment a day.
‘She lives a quiet and secure life in Cheshire and has not troubled the court in her long life. References to her character suggest that she leads a kind and compassionate lifestyle. She has been taking primary care of her husband since 2015. This behavior is absolutely unethical for them and they have expressed genuine remorse.
“This crime was committed on his computer in the safety of his own home and unfortunately clicking ‘send’ had very serious consequences for him.”
Judge Steven Everett added: ‘Like any sane person you should have watched the horrific news and media. Instead you decided to participate in spreading hate.
‘You were part of a Facebook account that had 5100 members. You had a huge readership. You threatened a mosque, wherever it is. It was a truly terrifying threat.
‘The members of your group were easily influenced and possibly vulnerable. You made the comment carelessly rather than deliberately but the only appropriate punishment would be immediate custody.’
They said they took into account Julie Sweeney’s previous good character and the ‘heartbreaking letter’ from her husband.
But he added: ‘In situations like this, even people like you have to go to jail because a message has to go out that if you do these horrible things, the court will say to you, ‘You have to go to jail.’ . I’m afraid that’s what I have to say to you today.’
Appearing in court via video link from HMP Styal in Cheshire, Julie Sweeney replied: ‘Thank you.’
#British #woman #jailed #threatening #blow #mosque
2024-08-15 21:45:44
