Andrew McIntyre, a key figure in the Southport riots, has been sentenced to seven and a half years for inciting violence through social media.
Southport: So, there’s this guy, Andrew McIntyre, who really stirred the pot after a knife attack last summer. He set up a Telegram channel called “Southport Wake Up” right after the incident. It was all about rallying people to join in on the chaos that followed.
He got hit with a seven and a half year sentence for his role in the riots. The judge called him a major player in spreading false info and inciting violence. McIntyre was all about that racial hatred, and his actions led to a lot of trouble.
Prosecutors painted a pretty grim picture of what went down last summer. They argued that the riots weren’t just random acts of violence; they were organized, and McIntyre was a key part of that. His channel was like a spark that ignited a series of violent posts.
He even shared some pretty nasty stuff from extremist groups and made threats against the police. Just hours before the violence erupted, he posted a message that was basically a warning to law enforcement. It was clear he was trying to stir things up.
After the chaos, he bragged about it online, asking if everyone was ready for “Round 2.” It’s wild to think he was a taxi driver before all this. When the cops finally caught him, they found a knife in his car and some pretty disturbing stuff at his home.
His parents were in court, shocked at what he’d done. His lawyer tried to argue that he was a good guy before all this, but the evidence was pretty damning. Groups like Hope Not Hate played a big role in bringing him down, saying the country is safer now that he’s behind bars.
It’s a crazy story, and it just goes to show how social media can be used for some really dangerous stuff. McIntyre’s case is a reminder that there are serious consequences for inciting violence online.
