‘Keyboard warrior’ jailed for posting mosque message after Southport deaths

Julie Sweeney’s defence lawyers claimed she lives ‘a quiet, sheltered life in Cheshire’

(Cheshire Constabulary/PA)

A woman has been jailed for 15 months after she admitted posting an online message stating “blow the mosque up”.

Julie Sweeney, 53, sent the comment on 3 August to a local community Facebook group from her home in Church Lawton, Cheshire, which was later reported to the police.

Following the posting of a photograph which showed a number of white and Asian people involved in the clean-up from the aftermath of the Southport disorder, Julie Sweeney posted: “It’s absolutely ridiculous. Don’t protect the mosques. Blow the mosques up with the adults in it.”

She pleaded guilty at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday to sending a communication to convey a threat of death or serious harm.

Sentencing, Judge Steven Everett, the Honorary Recorder of Chester, said: “I don’t think anyone is suggesting that the defendant would have been involved in that herself but so-called keyboard warriors like her have to learn to take responsibility for their language – particularly in the context of the disorder that was going on around the country.”

Sarah Badrawy, prosecuting, told the court that one of the community group’s 5,100 members on Facebook became “uneasy” at a number of comments posted on the site in the wake of the widespread violent disorder following the deaths of three young girls in Southport on 29 June.

Miss Badrawy said the concerned member found the posting “offensive” and “did not like reading it”. The post was later deleted, the court heard.

The court heard that when she was arrested, Sweeney told told officers: “I’m not being rude but there are a lot of people saying it.”

She said she posted the comment “in anger”, had “no intention to put people in fear” and conceded it was “unacceptable” and that she would be “deleting Facebook”.

John Keane, defending, said: “She accepts it was stupid. This was a single comment on a single day.

“She lives a quiet, sheltered life in Cheshire and has not troubled the courts in her long life. Her character references show she lives a kind and compassionate lifestyle. She has been primary carer for her husband since 2015.

“This conduct is firmly out of character for her and she has shown genuine remorse.

“This offence was committed on her computer in the safety of her own home and unfortunately pressing ‘send’ for her is going to have dire consequences.”

Judge Steven Everett added: “You should have been looking at the news and media with horror like every right-minded person. Instead you chose to take part in stirring up hatred.

“You were part of a Facebook account which had 5,100 members. You had a big audience. You threatened a mosque, wherever it was. It truly was a terrible threat.

“You had an impressionable audience and potentially a vulnerable audience. Your comment was recklessly made rather than intentionally but appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody.”

He said he took into account Sweeney’s previous good character and a “heart-rending letter” from her husband.

But he went on: “In circumstances such as these, even people like you need to go to prison because a message must go out that if you do these terrible acts the court will say to you ‘you must go to prison’. I’m afraid that’s what I have to say to you today.”

Sweeney, who appeared in court via a videolink from HMP Styal, replied: “Thank you your honour.”