Social media user ‘incited race hate’ before and after Southport attacks
Prosecutors claim Mark Heath, 45, ‘crossed the line’ on X, formerly Twitter, to stir up hatred against others between July 22 and August 6.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
A social media user accused of inciting race hate before and after the Southport stabbings used his account to post “talk of war” and to claim the suspect arrested over the attacks had arrived in the UK on a dinghy, a court has heard.
Mark Heath is accused of stirring up racial hatred on X, formerly known as Twitter, while publishing “threatening, abusive or insulting” material to the site between July 22 and August 6 this year.
Leicester Crown Court, sitting at Loughborough Courthouse, was told on Monday that Heath, of Kestrel Road in Oakham, Rutland, denies the charge, claiming his posts were legitimate comment while exercising his freedom of speech.
The prosecution say that some (posts) individually are threatening - it can't credibly be said that Mr Heath didn't intend those messages to be threatening or abusive
Opening the case for the Crown, prosecutor Lyndon Harris told jurors that tweets sent by Heath had been screenshotted by police to compile a 48-page document for the jury.
Among the tweets was one republishing rally dates originally posted by Tommy Robinson and one on July 29 – the day of the Southport attacks – claiming the offender responsible was an asylum seeker named Ali Al Shakati.
One of the tweets from July 29 read: “Just think how many ALI AL SHAKATIs are arriving and already here, ready to butcher our kids!!
“Msm say it’s not a terror incident! F*** OFF, witnesses heard him screaming Allahu Akbar. I bet he isn’t 17 either so he need not be named.”
Follow-up messages by Heath said the stabbings were a “tipping point” and claimed the attacker 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 Heath, aged 45, went on to write: “Those people now have blood on their hands, as they kept a dangerous killer in Britain.”
Another message, which attracted 228,000 views, said: “Now the truth. Name Ali Al Shakati, arrived on a dinghy last year, saying he is 17 so not to be named, multiple witnesses saying he was shouting ALLAHU AKBAR.”
Images attached to one of the tweets carried slogans reading “it is time we the people took our country back” and “I will not submit to Islam in my own country”.
Heath, whose X bio informed his 6,843 followers he was a Reform voter, a Christian and a proud Englishman, also sent a post containing an abusive remark about the trans community, and another suggesting that non-British citizens were responsible for the majority of two million sexual and physical assaults on women said to be occurring each year.
Mr Harris told the court: “The prosecution say that they (the tweets) speak for themselves.
“The prosecution say there is a theme running through these posts across this two-week period – it’s anti-immigration and anti-Muslim.
“There is language of violence, talk of war, talk of white genocide, talk of Sharia Law being introduced in this country.
“There are numerous posts where Mr Heath says the country is at war or war is coming.”
Although some of the posts contained legitimate political comment, the court heard, the prosecution allege some “crossed the line” by targeting racial groups.
Mr Harris added: “Posts intended to stir up racial hatred towards British people would fall under the scope of this offence, as you would expect.
“The prosecution say that some (posts) individually are threatening – it can’t credibly be said that Mr Heath didn’t intend those messages to be threatening or abusive.
“The prosecution say that was his purpose – he was seeking engagement.”
The trial continues.