Student who tweeted that those who wear Help for Heroes t-shirts 'deserve to be beheaded' gets community service
A student has been ordered to do 250 hours of unpaid community service after tweeting that people wearing Help for Heroes t-shirts "deserve to be beheaded" in the aftermath of the brutal murder of soldier Lee Rigby.
Deyka Ayan Hassan, 21, contacted police after receiving hundreds of threatening messages in response to her post on the site on 22 May, according to the Daily Mail.
But she was herself later arrested for her own original message which read: "To be honest, if you wear a Help for Heroes t-shirt you deserve to be beheaded."
Hendon Magistrates Court heard that she meant it as a 'jokey' criticism of the design of the t-shirt and her solicitor admitted Hassan was "disgusted with herself" and has caused "gross offence".
Magistrates accepted that Hassan had not known that it was a soldier who had been killed when she made her remark.
Chairman of the bench Nigel Orton said: ""The tragic events in Woolwich that day have created a context which made this tweet appear extreme," he said.
"It had a huge impact and clearly caused offence and distress. We accept you didn't intend to cause harm and you felt it was a joke.
"Your act was naive and foolish and without regard to the general public at a time of heightened sensitivity."