A MAN who posted anti-Muslim messages on social media has been spared jail.

John Hanson, 61, of Hamworth Drive, Oakworth, Keighley, pleaded guilty to three charges of publishing or distributing material intending to stir up religious hatred when he appeared at Bradford Crown Court last December.

The offences, which consisted of posts made on his Facebook, took place between July 2016 and June last year.

One of the posts included a picture of Hanson in a T-shirt bearing the slogan ‘we will crush Islam’.

The case was adjourned at that stage to allow for the preparation of a report referring to Hanson’s treatment at a post-traumatic stress disorder unit.

He had been warned that immediate custody was an option, but Judge Colin Burn, sitting at the same court, suspended the 12-month prison sentence for two years, imposing 300 hours unpaid work and a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement.