Man jailed for Muslim hate message after Manchester bombing

A Wrexham man who posted a hate message on Facebook in the aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing has been jailed for a year.

Keegan Jakovlevs, 22, created a public post on the site, part of which read: 'Let's kill every Muslim'. The post was taken down shortly afterwards.

He admitted publishing material with the intention of stirring up religious hatred and was sentenced to 12 months behind bars at Mold Crown Court.

PC Jon Blake, who led the investigation, said: “The nature and timing of this offence was shocking. We will not tolerate such hate crimes and will bring offenders before the courts.

"His sentence reflects the gravity of his offence.”

Outside court, the head of the Crown Prosecution Service's special crime and counter-terrorism division, Sue Hemming, said: "After the Manchester attack, there were countless messages of support on social media for those affected - but Keegan Jakovlevs chose to stir up religious hatred by calling for British Muslims to be indiscriminately killed.

"No harmful consequences appear to have resulted, but his intention was clear and he pleaded guilty once he saw the CPS case against him.

"People should not assume they can hide on social media when stirring up hatred and violence. Where there is evidence, the CPS will prosecute them and they will face imprisonment as a result."

Twenty-two people were killed and scores of others injured during the bombing on May 22.