Southport riots: Father of three jailed for calling for mosques to be burned

Geraint Boyce, 43, of Penrhiw-Fer, Wales was jailed for two years at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court for publishing threatening material.

Geraint Boyce, 43, was sentenced at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court (South Wales Police/PA)

A 43-year-old man who called on Facebook for mosques to be burned down has been jailed for two years.

Geraint Boyce, of Penrhiw-Fer, Wales, was sentenced at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Thursday over Facebook posts published during the riots earlier this year.

Boyce pleaded guilty to publishing threatening material intended to stir up religious hatred.

The father of three made and shared a series of comments on July 31 including ones that called for mosques to be burned down with “the bastards inside”.

Alex Orndal, prosecuting, told the court the posts had been made following the murder of three children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport and the widespread disruption that followed.

A police officer viewed your account and saw that you had posted threatening material intended to stir up religious hatred

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke

He said the comments were made on a public Facebook profile called “Boyce’s Plumbing”, which the defendant had been logged into on arrest.

Other posts included him saying he was “ready for war” and “time to wake the lion to save our children’s future”.

Mr Orndal said he also shared an AI-generated picture of a “large hulk-like figure” chasing people wearing “Islamic religious clothing”.

On arrest, Boyce asked police if it was “because of the online stuff to do with the riots”.

Mr Orndal said: “It is the Crown’s case that these are not mere idle comments but calls to action.”

He told the judge the police began an investigation into social media posts after they were alerted by Buffy Williams, member of the Senedd for Rhondda.

Nicholas Gedge, appearing for the defence, insisted Boyce was “ashamed of what he did” and that he “wants people to live peacefully together”.

“He held views at the time as a result of what he had seen online, unfortunately.

“He was sympathetic to views that were wrong, which he wholly recognises now.”

Sentencing Boyce, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, the Recorder of Cardiff, said: “A police officer viewed your account and saw that you had posted threatening material intended to stir up religious hatred.

“Including posting that you were ready for war and adding the comment ‘burn them all down with the bastards inside’ when you shared the image of a mosque.”

She said the posts showed an intention to “incite serious violence”.

The judge added that it was aggravated because it took place during a “particularly sensitive social climate” which she said required an immediate custodial sentence.