Man, 35, charged over ‘offensive’ tweet ‘celebrating’ Captain Tom’s death

A man has been charged over sending an offensive tweet about national hero Captain Sir Tom Moore.

The tweet was sent shortly after the WWII vet and NHS fundraiser’s death.

A 35-year-old man from Scotland is due to appear at Lanark Sheriff Court accused of communication offences.

Sir Tom, who helped raise tens of millions for the NHS during the first national lockdown, died in hospital after contracting coronavirus and pneumonia last Tuesday.

Police Scotland said a tweet about the 100-year-old was reported to them three days later and a man was arrested.

In a statement, a spokesman for Police Scotland said: “On Friday we received a report of an offensive tweet about Sir Captain Tom Moore who died on Tuesday, February 2.

“A 35-year-old man has subsequently been arrested and charged in connection with communication offences and is due to appear at Lanark Sheriff Court on Wednesday, February 17.”

The case has sparked a free speech row amid fears the Scottish parliament will soon legalise “cancel culture”.

Actor Laurence Fox led anger about the decision today, tweeting: “The police should be free to do their jobs, which is investigate actual crime, not arresting idiots who tweet idiotic things.

“Freedom of speech is the cornerstone of any open society. Protect it, even if you don’t like or agree with it.”

A Scottish Twitter user wrote “my country is a joke” next to an article announcing the charge today.

And politics lecturer Adrian Hilton wrote: “Unless this tweet threatened violence or incited civil unrest or some other kind of harm, I’d very much like to know why this man has been arrested. We have a right to be ‘offensive’, and that’s a high bar. If anyone can send me the tweet, please do.”

The SNP’s proposed new hate crime bill saying it will make “stirring up hatred” a criminal offence has sparked a backlash from politicians and senior lawyers.

Thomas Ross QC said: “If the Scottish Government is going to create an offence that can be committed unintentionally, drafters of the legislation have to make the essentials of the offence crystal clear. They’ve failed to do that.

“The language used in the Bill is so difficult to understand that it will be impossible for the man or woman in the street to know when the line is likely to be crossed.

“A person might think, ‘I don’t intend to be offensive and I don’t think this comment is abusive, but what might a mythical sheriff think about it if the procurator fiscal is persuaded to prosecute? Why take the chance’.”