Woman sentenced for inciting racial hate online

A woman has been given a suspended prison sentence for inciting racial hatred in a social media post during last summer's riots.

Megan Morrison, 27, from Workington, Cumbria, shared an image on Facebook of violent disorder at a Holiday Inn in Rotherham housing asylum seekers and suggested the same should be done outside the Cumberland Hotel.

Prosecutor Tim Evans told Carlisle Crown Court there were no asylum seekers being housed at the hotel, nor had there ever been.

Morrison admitted inciting racial hatred and was given a six-month jail term suspended for 18 months and ordered to do 160 hours of unpaid work. She was also given an electronically monitored night time curfew for two months.

The court heard that Morrison shared the image with the caption: "They should do this to the Cumberland Hotel. It's full of them."

Mr Evans said a follower of the defendant commented on the post "You can't incite riots" and Morrison responded with a laughing emoji.

"This is of course the terrible danger of these criminally, ill-advised postings," Mr Evans said.

"Entirely innocent people or properties can be dragged into situations by this sort of invitation if people accept."

Morrison's post was on 6 August, eight days after three children were murdered at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport.

The murders resulted in violent disorder across the country.

She was one of a number of people prosecuted in Cumbria for racially offensive online posts.

Morrison's barrister said her phone had been seized by police and she had not replaced it having withdrawn from social media as part of what she called her "self rehabilitation".

She told a probation officer who prepared a pre-sentence report that her offending was "stupid".

After hearing details of Morrison's family circumstances, Judge Nicholas Barker said he accepted she felt genuine remorse.

Referring to her sharing the image from the Rotherham riot, the judge said: "What you did was to demonstrate an implied assertion that you supported the actions that these mindless thugs were taking.

"No one considering this case can themselves disconnect it from the wave of civil disorder and appalling conduct that swept this country in August last year.

"You were part of that."

Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Send your story ideas here.