This is the face of a Birmingham man who was jailed for making threats to far-right activists. Mohammed Akhtar posed with his mum and dad's samurai sword in a picture which was captioned 'where's Tommy Robinson?'.
The image was seen by a handful of people on Snapchat before being deleted. But the 24-year-old had also sent messages to various WhatsApp groups such as 'need to smash up this white lot'.
It came amid the race-related civil unrest in the summer sparked by false misinformation spread online that a triple child murder suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker. Supposedly 'intelligent' and well-educated Akhtar admitted he was just 'showing off' with the sword, which was actually a blunt ornament given to his parents as a wedding present 20 years earlier.
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He said it was a 'silly mistake' and denied he condoned violence. But Judge Paul Farrer KC showed no mercy with Akhtar, of Washwood Heath Road, Ward End, sentenced to 15 months at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, December 20.
The defendant had admitted sending a communication threatening death of serious harm. Judge Farrer said: "The seriousness of the offence and the obvious need for deterrence is such that punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody."
Referencing the wide-spread disorder and rioting across the country last summer he added: "In truth this disorder was nothing to do with exercising the right to lawful protest. Instead, it was motivated by intolerance and ignorance. For others it was an excuse to commit acts of violence, intimidation and criminal damage."
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon founded the now-defunct English Defence League. Jonathan Baker, defending Akhtar, said there was 'no prospect of harm' to the far-right activist as he was in Cyprus at the time of the Snapchat post, on August 6.
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The barrister said: "There are many references that attest to the defendant's positive good character. He is a young man, educated, he is from a good family who has a lot going for him and good prospects. This was behaviour that was out of character and no doubt in part due to his lack of maturity and lack of consequential thinking."
The post came a day after an anti-far right gathering in Bordesley Green resulted in disorder and a number of arrests. Prosecutor Claire Harris said: "Police received information that this defendant has posted on social media a photograph of himself holding a samurai sword with the caption 'where's Tommy Robinson?'. The defendant was identified through further enquiries.
"The defendant's home address was searched on August 11. His parents invited the police to his bedroom and that's where the samurai sword was recovered."
In other WhatsApp messages Akhtar said 'going to sharpen that samurai' and 'going to take that with me later' as well as 'off to the Radleys' and 'shout me if it kicks off lol I'm just down the road'.