Robert Riley, 42, sentenced to eight weeks after saying he would have killed not only Leeds teacher but all her colleagues

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

A former bus driver has been jailed for eight weeks after posting offensive tweets about the fatal stabbing of the teacher Ann Maguire.

Robert Riley, who used the nickname "Bucketmouth" on his Twitter profile and branded himself "unabashed and unafraid", said he would have killed not only Maguire but all her school colleagues, and joked about teachers needing stab vests.

Maguire was stabbed while teaching a lesson at Corpus Christi Catholic college in Leeds last month.

Riley, from Wales, made a series of offensive remarks on Twitter about subjects ranging from Auschwitz to the Korean ferry disaster, magistrates in Swansea were told on Thursday. He also posted a string of racist rants against Muslim, Chinese and eastern European people.

The 42-year-old faced a backlash from other Twitter users after posting the inflammatory tweets two days after Maguire's death. He joined the debate about his remarks at one point, tweeting: "Of all the sick things I've tweeted, starvation, genocide, rape and torture, it's the teacher from Leeds that outrages everyone the most."

Boasting that he had the "biggest gob this side of the river Severn", Riley goaded those who criticised him. "I hope I get into the tabloids. I can see the headline now: dole scrounging leecher [sic] makes fun of dead teacher."

Twitter users reported his comments to West Yorkshire police, who tracked him down to his home in the village of Cwmavon, near Port Talbot. When arrested, Riley asked officers: "Am I going to go to prison?"

On Thursday he pleaded guilty to sending a grossly offensive message via a public communications network.

Linda Baker, prosecuting, told the court that after police received the complaint, Riley's other offensive tweets came to light.

His solicitor, Giles Hayes, said Riley left school at the age of 15 with no qualifications and lived an insular life. Of the tweet about Maguire, Hayes said: "It's a senseless act at a very sensitive time".

The court heard a report from the Probation Service that said Riley was a full-time carer for a 44-year-old woman. "Because of this he has very little time for social activity out of the house," it said. Riley regarded Twitter as a chance to engage in "social banter" but had no idea of the site's vastness, it added.

Hayes asked the court to impose a suspended jail term, saying this would give Riley the chance and the support to address his behavioural problems.

But the chairwoman of the bench, Georgina Scannell, said the court had no choice but to send the defendant to jail.

"The offensive messages outraged the public," she said. "You had complete disregard for the tragic death of Ann Maguire. Besides this, countless other vile messages were made by you. The bench finds these were racially and religiously aggravated. The offences are so serious that only a period of immediate custody can be justified."

Riley had posted more than 4,000 messages on Twitter in two and a half years and had more than 500 followers.

A 15-year-old boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, has been charged with Maguire's murder and is due to stand trial in November.