A man who threatened to burn down mosques in a video posted on TikTok during the summer rioting and disorder has been jailed for 20 months.
James Paul Aspin, from Northumberland, shared the video on the social media platform on or before August 8, at the time of widespread unrest and anti-immigration protests in the wake of the killing of three young girls in Southport, on July 29.
The 34-year-old defendant appeared at the Moot Hall of Newcastle Crown Court today (Nov 18) having admitted a charge of distributing a recording to stir up racial hatred.
Claire Anderson, prosecuting, said Aspin had 931 followers on TikTok and the video, lasting almost four minutes, had five “shares”.
(Image: Northumbria Police) During the video Aspin, of Briardale Road, Blyth, claimed he was going to burn down, “every mosque in Newcastle.”
But, following his arrest, he claimed it was, “a rant”, which was posted at a time when he was drunk.
Tony Cornberg, in mitigation, pointed to a psychological report prepared for the court sentencing hearing in which the defendant was described as, “educationally limited”, and as someone who was, “easily-led”.
(Image: Northumbria Police) Jailing Aspin, Judge Carolyn Scott said he had used, “hugely offensive and dangerous” phrases in the video and she described his comments about asylum seekers as, “despicable”.
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She said an aggravating feature of the offence was its timing, when there was widespread violence in the country and, “a particularly sensitive social climate.”
Several days after Aspin’s arrest, on August 8, the Crown Prosecution Service said it had authorised Northumbria Police to bring the charge against him of, “distributing, showing or playing a recording of visual images or sounds, namely a video on Tiktok, which are threatening, intending thereby to stir up religious hatred, contrary to section 29E of the Public Order Act 1986.”
He pleaded guilty at a subsequent hearing before magistrates who, in turn, sent the case for sentence to the crown court.