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A man described as a leading organiser of last summer’s riots has been jailed for seven and a half years for using social media to encourage people to take part in the disorder.
Andrew McIntyre, 39, set up a Telegram channel called “Southport Wake Up” in the immediate aftermath of the knife attack in the Merseyside town on 29 July last year, Liverpool crown court was told.
Sentencing McIntyre, Judge Neil Flewitt KC said the defendant was “prominent” among people responsible for spreading misinformation after the Southport attack.
“You were motivated by racial hatred,” he told McIntyre. “I have no doubt your actions encouraged many people to plan and then to commit offences of both violent disorder and criminal damage.”
The campaign group Hope Not Hate said afterwards that McIntyre was a “leading organiser” and “key architect” of the riots and the UK was a safer place because he was now in jail.
Arthur Gibson, prosecuting, said the case involved a “sinister aspect” of violence that took place in parts of the UK last summer.
He said: “It is the prosecution case that many of these seats of disorder were not simply spontaneous, or that persons coincidentally simply decided to turn up and take part.
“It is the crown’s case that others, to a greater or lesser degree, participated in the organisation, encouragement and incitement of such gatherings, which resulted in the disorder.
“It is the crown’s case that one such person is the defendant.”
The Southport Wake Up channel was identified by Hope Not Hate as a “catalyst for and origin of a series of posts” concerning incidents of violence, Gibson said.
The court heard that McIntyre, who has pleaded guilty to encouraging violent disorder and possession of a knife, shared content from a site called Tommy Robinson/Britain First/For Britain about a protest in Southport on 30 July.
He also posted a map after adding: “Mosque at the top of Hart St.”
In a later post he wrote: “Rise Up English Lads. 8pm tomorrow St Luke’s Rd Southport.”
Hours before violence broke out in Southport on July 30, he posted what was described as a “clear threat to police”, writing: “Message to All…Stand in our way, even if you’re just doing your job… prepare to fall.”
Another user responded: “We’ll get to the mosque and rip it fucking down.”
The court was told McIntyre’s phone was in the area of St Luke’s Road in Southport at 7pm on 30 July, and the car in which he was later arrested was also in the area when the disorder took place.
The day after the disorder, McIntyre posted: “Well done last night lads, to all you heavy hitters.
“Are you ready for Round 2???… Liverpool Mosque, West Derby Road, Friday 8pm.”
McIntyre was working as a taxi driver when he was stopped by police in Liverpool on 8 August and arrested, Gibson said.
A knife was found hidden in the boot of his car and, when his home was searched, officers found weapons and a copy of Hitler’s Mein Kampf, the court heard.
The defendant was originally charged with encouraging murder, after posting a link to a YouTube video of Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, with the caption: “We’re going to hang this woman and her associates.”
Gibson said the decision was taken not to pursue the charge to trial because of “evidential issues” concerning whether the defendant actually believed the act would be carried out. The count was left to lie on the file at an earlier hearing.
McIntyre, of Rufford, near Ormskirk, Lancashire, followed proceedings on a videolink from HMP Liverpool, while his parents looked on from the public gallery of the courtroom.
Julian Nutter, defending, said: “His parents are horrified that he is in this predicament. He is a man of previous good character and has never come to the attention of the police before.”
Hope Not Hate said it had been instrumental in securing the evidence that led to McIntyre’s prosecution.
Joe Mulhall, the group’s director of research, said: “The country is safer with Andrew McIntyre behind bars. Hope Not Hate is proud to have provided the evidence against him.
“The overall picture of McIntyre’s social media use is of a man so consumed with hate and violence that he could find little satisfaction in activities that did not immediately quench his desire for harming others.”
