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Former soldier jailed for stirring up racial hatred with Facebook posts

18 November 2024, 11:49 | Updated: 18 November 2024, 14:38

A former soldier has been jailed for stirring up racial hatred on Facebook.

Daffron Williams, 41, from Rhondda Cynon Taf, was sentenced to two years in prison on Monday and will serve up to half of that in custody before he is released on licence.

He had previously pleaded guilty to distributing written material intended to stir up racial hatred.

Cardiff Crown Court heard many of the messages were "linked to the widespread disorder that occurred across this country in this summer gone" after the Southport stabbings.

One post on his account read: "I'm racist as f***, only to those who disrespect society."

Prosecuting, Alex Orndal said Williams attended a rally in London at which one of the speakers was Tommy Robinson.

After the rally, he posted images of himself in attendance and in the accompanying post wrote: "God bless Tommy Robinson, f****** hero".

In another post, Williams wrote: "Civil war is here. The only thing that's missing is bullets. That's the next step".

When interviewed by police after his arrest, Williams said that "what was happening in the UK was affecting his mental health and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)," the court heard.

He also told police he regretted the posts and apologised for publishing them.

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In mitigation, John Allchurch said the defendant suffered from PTSD after "his experiences while serving as a soldier in Afghanistan and Iraq".

"The defendant is a man who has served his country in the most difficult and trying circumstances, which has resulted in him suffering an ongoing mental disorder," he added.

Sentencing, Recorder of Cardiff Tracy Lloyd-Clarke noted the "particularly sensitive social climate" and, having considered mitigating factors, told the defendant "you knew exactly what you were doing".