First men jailed for riot-related social media posts

The first jail terms for using social media to encourage disorder in the recent unrest have been handed down.

Jordan Parlour is believed to be the first person to be sent to prison over social media posts made in relation to the nationwide riots.

Unrest erupted after online posts falsely identified the suspected killer of three young girls in a knife attack in Southport.

Parlour was sentenced to 20 months in prison at Leeds Crown Court after pleading guilty to publishing written material intended to stir racial hatred.

UK riots latest: More than 700 disorder-related arrests so far

His mother submitted a note to court saying: "We can only speculate that he has been caught up and swept away by emotions circulating around the country."

The 28-year-old wrote that "every man and his dog should smash [the] f*** out of Britannia hotel (in Leeds)" in a Facebook post in early August.

Taking aim at asylum seekers in another post, he wrote: "They are over here given a life of Riley off the tax of us hard-working people earn when it could be put to better use... come here with no work visa, no trade to their name and sit and doss."

The judge heard how the Britannia Hotel in Seacroft, Leeds, where 210 asylum seekers and refugees were living, was targeted by people throwing missiles and breaking windows, forcing it into "lockdown".

Further damage was done to the hotel after the post, the court heard, and more than a dozen police had to be diverted to the area over the weekend.

Parlour had suffered a broken heel and was at home when he wrote the posts, which were reported to the police.

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Passing sentence, Judge Guy Kearl KC said: "You took to social media in order to encourage others towards participation in the attacks upon the hotel.

"The initial post received six likes. However, it was sent to your 1,500 Facebook friends and, because of your lack of privacy settings, will have been forwarded to friends of your friends.

"The messages were therefore spread widely, which was plainly your intention."

Tyler Kay

Parlour was not the only person sent to prison for social media posts.

Tyler Kay was jailed for 38 months after using social media to encourage people to torch hotels housing asylum seekers.

The 26-year-old, from Northampton, called for mass deportations and his posts on X revealed a "fundamentally racist mindset", Judge Adrienne Lucking KC told Northampton Crown Court.

The court heard Kay's posts called for mass deportation and advised protesters to "mask up". He also retweeted a screenshot of a message inciting action against a named immigration solicitors in the town.

Judge Lucking said Kay posted as he did because he thought there would be "no consequences".

"The overall tone of the posts clearly reveals your fundamentally racist mindset," she said.

She added: "I am sure that when you intentionally created the posts you intended that racial hatred would be stirred up by your utterly repulsive, racist and shocking posts that have no place in a civilised society."

The dad-of-three was convicted of stirring up racial hatred.

Richard Williams

Williams, who encouraged people to start a riot on a local Facebook group dedicated to protests, became the first person from Wales to be convicted on Friday.

He posted about taking part in a riot and shared a derogatory meme about migrants, Mold Magistrates' Court heard.

Williams, of Flintshire, was sentenced to three months after he pleaded guilty to one count of sending menacing messages via a public communication network on 7 August.

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'Not a law free zone'

More than 741 people have now been arrested in connection with the unrest, of which 302 have been charged, the National Police Chiefs' Council said on Friday.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he is "absolutely convinced" having extra police officers on the streets "in the right places" over the past few days - as well as putting rioters - through the courts quickly has "had a real impact" after 100 planned protests failed to materialise on Wednesday evening.

The former lawyer also reiterated those who incite violence online will be prosecuted, saying the government does need to look "more broadly" at social media following the unrest.

"This is not a law free zone," he said.

"And I think that's clear from the prosecutions and sentencing today for online behaviour.

"That's a reminder to everyone that whether you're directly involved or whether you're remotely involved, you're culpable and you will be put before the courts if you've broken the law."

Meanwhile, Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds told Sky News on Friday the government would revisit the framework of legislation that regulates the responsibilities of social media companies regarding content inciting violence or hate.

"We stand ready to make changes if necessary," he said of the Online Safety Act, passed in October, but not due to come into effect until next year.

'Soviet Russia', says Joe Rogan

However, high-profile figures in the US, including billionaire X owner Elon Musk and right-wing podcaster Joe Rogan, have criticised British police for going after rioters on social media.

Rogan said the "crackdown" reminds him of "Soviet Russia" while Musk shared a Sky News post of the director of public prosecutions warning that sharing online material of riots could be an offence.

Musk's repost said: "This is actually happening."