Ex-West Yorkshire Police worker shared racist and pro-UDA tweets

William Lloyd-Hughes shared images of flags from a banned Northern Irish paramilitary group

A former police detention officer who shared "dangerous and vile" content in apparent support of a Northern Irish paramilitary group has been sentenced.

William Lloyd-Hughes shared an image of armed men in balaclavas posing with Ulster Defence Association (UDA) flags.

He was sentenced at Westminster Magistrates' Court after admitting an offence under the Terrorism Act.

Huddersfield-based Lloyd-Hughes, who has resigned from West Yorkshire Police, was given a community order.

The 27-year-old also admitted an offence under the Communications Act in relation to a racist social media post in which he used a hashtag implying support for killing Black people.

The UDA was responsible for the killing hundreds of people during the Troubles in Northern Ireland and often claimed responsibility for sectarian murders using the cover name the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF).

The UDA remained a legal organisation until it was banned in August 1992.

On Wednesday, prosecutor Gillian Curl told the court that when Lloyd-Hughes was arrested he told police he had limited knowledge of the history of sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland and did not intend to post something that supported a banned terrorist organisation.

Lloyd Hughes also told officers in December that the racist Twitter posts did not reflect his actual views, court documents show.

'Betrayal of public trust'

Passing a concurrent community order sentence for the two offences, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring also imposed a 40-day rehabilitation requirement and said Lloyd-Hughes must complete 100 hours of unpaid work.

He must also pay a surcharge and prosecutions costs totalling £199 within seven days.

Emily Barry, regional director of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said: "The racist and deeply offensive views shared by Loyd-Hughes on his Twitter account are dangerous, vile and have absolutely no place in policing - or society as a whole.

"His shocking actions could not be further from the standards expected of a police employee, and are a total betrayal of not only public trust, but that of his colleagues too."

The IOPC said the charges followed an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing North East after a mandatory referral from the West Yorkshire force last September.

Lloyd-Hughes, who resigned his from post in February, will face also face a police misconduct hearing.