By GB News (World News) | Created at 2024-12-23 16:56:09 | Updated at 2024-12-23 22:56:50
6 hours ago
A father who threatened to "blow away" Tommy Robinson and the English Defence League whilst holding a decommissioned AK-47 assault rifle has been jailed for 27 months.
Habeeb Khan, 49, was filmed making the threats in his living room in Birmingham during the height of civil unrest in the summer.
A judge was told that the video - which was filmed by a friend of Khan's who he did not want to name - went viral on social media, gaining 1.4 million views.
Two days later, Khan was arrested after causing serious disorder in the Bordesley Green area.
Habeeb Khan, 49, was filmed making the threats in his living room in Birmingham
West Midlands Police
During his arrest, the court heard, Khan told officers “all I have done is make a little video” before “playing up” for a crowd which had gathered.
Khan, of Hickman Road, Sparkbrook, pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to making threats of death or serious harm contrary to the Online Safety Act.
He also admitted threatening behaviour relating to homophobic and abusive comments made after he was taken to hospital by police on the day of his arrest.
The court heard Khan has 11 previous convictions for 15 offences, including racially aggravated public order offences in 2009 and 2013.
He was also jailed for 12 months in 2019 after being convicted of possessing an imitation handgun with intent to cause fear of violence to a delivery driver outside a pizza shop.
The video clip was played to Birmingham Crown Court
PA
Defence counsel Sunit Sandhu said Khan had health problems, including bipolar disorder and cellulitis.
Sandhu told the court: “He pleaded guilty at trial on the basis of being reckless and he himself not uploading the video.
“He realises the consequences of his actions and is genuinely remorseful.”
Passing sentence on Monday, Judge Melbourne Inman KC told Khan: “Sadly this is one of a number of cases that this court has had to deal with which arise out of civil unrest which itself followed from the very tragic events in Southport on July 29.
“That is the background to your actions on August 6 when you caused a message to be sent on X, formerly Twitter.
“This was, as you know, a time of extremely heightened social tension. On any view you were very reckless.”
Khan was told he must serve 40 per cent of his custodial term before being entitled to release on licence.
