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A Chelsea fan who posted vile messages on the internet about the victims of Hillsborough has avoided being sent to jail.

A court was told today John Boden was a “frightened man” who had received Facebook threats.

Unemployed Boden, 24, of Branstree Road, Blackpool admitted two offensive of posting grossly offensive messages via a public electronic communications network.

Read all our stories about Hillsborough by clicking here.

Blackpool magistrates court heard among the insults he posted was “96 wasn’t enough”.

Prosecutor Jane Yates said: “A man saw the message on Facebook and described it as derogatory and vile. Another person contacted Facebook and asked for it to be deleted.”

She said the background to the case was the Hillsborough disaster in which 96 lost their lives when Nottingham Forest played Liverpool in the FA Cup semi final.

On April 27 this year Boden made a post on Facebook after Liverpool lost 2-0 to Chelsea.

Boden stated:”Tell you what I lost every bit of respect for Liverpool and their fans after what happened last night.

“A Chelsea fan was stabbed in Liverpool by a group of fans.

“And their was a group of fans outside the Chelsea players’ hotel with loud music and fireworks trying to keep the players awake, how sad.”

This, in fact, had been a false rumour spread on social media.

Peter Manning,defending, said: "My client is a social inadequate who rarely goes out. If he is sent to prison he will be bullied in particular because of the offence he has committed.

“He is a frightened young man. People have been taking his photograph and there have been internet threats made against him.”

Sentencing him to a 12-week jail term, suspended for a year, District Judge Hugh Edwards told him: “This is the worst case of its type I have come across.

“The hurt and the distress by those who lost relatives at Hillsborough cannot be imagined and this came at a time the whole thing is being relived at Warrington.

“I am only pulling back from sending you straight to jail because of your remorse and your immediate confession to what you did.”

Boden, who gets £700 a month benefits, was also told to pay £85 court costs and £80 victims surcharge.

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