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Late last year, Twitter account @BarryStanton64 started aflame.

The anonymous troll began sharing racist messages, which some thought to be dark comedy, and others found profoundly offensive.

To begin with, nobody knew if Barry Stanton, who purported to be a dad-of-five from Blackpool, was a real person.

(Image: SWNS.com) (Image: SWNS.com)

Ultimately, joke or not, @BarryStanton64 was tweeting racist quips. And finally, after multiple reports to Twitter and thousands of retweets, this month the social media company suspended 'him' indefinitely.

Barry Stanton didn't ever exist. It didn't take too long for the account to be outed as a parody, and not a real man spouting nonsense about Brexit and the Quran.

But that doesn't mean 'Barry' didn't have an impact beyond comedic purpose.

Who, for example, was the man in the picture, a now semi-famous online personality? The answer: Nigel Addison, a 62-year-old former Labour councillor from Droitwich in Worcestershire.

Nigel said his portrait being associated with a racist Twitter account has had serious consequences.

"Someone out there is using my name and picture to spread racist hate messages," he said.

"I'm being called up and contacted from people all over the world asking if I am the real Barry Stanton.

"Some of these people are saying they agree with what I'm saying and inviting me out for beers. Others say I'm awful for trying to get Barry Stanton to stop using my picture.

"It was just so overwhelming I could have cried. I was just thinking what the hell is going on?"

Despite many labelling the original account as 'vile' and 'disgusting', it gathered plenty of supporters. As news of @BarryStanton64's suspension spread, users tweeted their disdain.

(Image: SWNS.com) (Image: SWNS.com)

Although the first is long gone, Nigel added other accounts are being created, each with similar intentions. And, of course, the parody has asked big questions of the online world, as this piece in the New Statesman explores.

Nigel said his life and the lives of his two daughters, aged between 26 and 38, have suffered. They've all been bombarded with messages asking about Barry.

"I just want people to know that I'm nothing like that and it's nothing to do with me," Nigel explained.

"What if somebody takes it seriously? What if I was walking down the road and somebody said I was that Barry Stanton and I was the one behind all those racist things. I could be attacked."