A man has been acquitted of stirring up racial hatred in a series of social media posts shared before and after the Southport killings.

A court heard that Mark Heath repeatedly posted false claims that the offender behind the attacks was an asylum seeker named Ali Al Shakati on X.

He denied publishing "threatening, abusive or insulting" material to X between July 22 and August 6 this year, telling the court that these were his "strong opinions" that "did not encourage violence".

Mr Heath, from Oakham in Rutland, was cleared by a jury at Loughborough Courthouse, acting as Leicester Crown Court, on Monday.

The prosecution told the court that posts sent by Mr Heath - a former prison officer - had been screenshotted by police to compile a 48-page document for the jury.

The court heard that Mr Heath described the Southport stabbings in July - when three children were killed, and 10 other people were injured - as a "tipping point", and falsely claimed the perpetrator was a failed asylum seeker who was on a plane to Rwanda "that got stopped" by the Labour party, Sir Keir Starmer and "other lefties".

Jurors were told Mr Heath, 45, went on to write: "Those people now have blood on their hands, as they kept a dangerous killer in Britain."

Giving evidence last week, Mr Heath said: "I do have strong opinions and express those opinions but at no point was I trying to stir up racial hatred.

"I am very much right-wing. I do not hate all Muslims, but I do have major issues with radical Islam."

Another message, posted by Mr Heath on the day of the Southport knife attacks, falsely said Ali Al Shakati was the perpetrator, was 17 years old and had arrived on a dinghy, and wrongly repeated claimed that witnesses saw him shouting "Allahu Akbar".

Mr Heath said: "Ali Al Shakati is a name that was circulated from a false news channel, which a lot of people got took in by, obviously me included. It was wildfire on X."

When asked by his barrister if he was intending to stir up racial hatred on that post, he added: "Not at all. I was just commenting on what I had heard.

"Taking our country back means taking the borders back. That's me having an opinion.

"The people that were rioting, in my opinion, are stupid. I condemn them 100%."

On hearing the verdict, Mr Heath - who was sitting in a wheelchair in the dock wearing a red T-shirt - punched the air with two fists.

Judge Timothy Spencer KC thanked the jury for its service and discharged the defendant.

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