TWO men from Runcorn have been put behind bars after admitting publishing ‘racist’ Facebook posts ‘to stir up and encourage racial hatred’.

Christopher Taggart and Rhys McDonald were handed immediate jail terms when they appeared before Chester Crown Court today, Tuesday.

On Monday, August 5, Cheshire Police became aware of concerning messages that were openly available to view on Facebook, posted by both Taggart and McDonald.

This included ‘multiple posts containing racial abuse and encouraging people to engage in racial hatred’.

Taggart posted these messages between July 29 and August 6, while 34-year-old McDonald posted between July 29 and August 5.

From their online profiles, officers worked to identify and locate the pair, and they were subsequently arrested on Saturday, August 10.

Upon arrest, police searched the Caesars Close home of 36-year-old Taggart and officers located a knuckleduster.

The two men were ultimately charged with publishing written material to stir up racial hatred, to which they pleaded guilty, while Taggart also admitted possessing an offensive weapon in a private place.

Taggart was jailed by judge Steven Everett for 32 months, while McDonald, of Oxford Road, was sentenced to 28 months immediate imprisonment.

The sentences handed down by the courts were welcomed by chief superintendent Alison Ross, of Cheshire Police.

She said: “Since the start of the recent disorder in other areas of the UK, we have been clear that we will not tolerate this kind of behaviour in Cheshire, including those who post racial abuse online.

“Much of the violent disorder which has taken place across the UK in recent weeks has been fuelled by malicious communications online – something which Taggart and McDonald decided to take part in.

“But they were not able to hide behind their devices and online accounts – they were soon identified and are now being held accountable.

“This should serve as a stark reminder against posting abusive messages online – we are all responsible for our actions, including what we post on social media.”