- Azhar Ahmed, now 20, made the comment just two days after the soldiers were killed
- Ahmed immediately started receiving complaints about his statement
- He admitted it was an 'offensive' thing to say but denied it was 'grossly offensive'
- Ahmed found guilty at Huddersfield Magistrate Court and will be sentenced on October 9
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Guilty: Azhar Ahmed's facebook comment following the death of six soldiers was found to be 'grossly offensive'
A 19-year-old's Facebook status that 'all soldiers should die and go to hell' after six British troops were killed by an explosion in Afghanistan has been found to be 'grossly offensive' by a court.
Azhar Ahmed, now 20, admitted posting the status update after reading about the deaths of the soldiers in March.
The six soldiers had been killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) two days earlier in the deadliest single attack on British forces in Afghanistan since 2001.
Ahmed, who admitted writing the message but denied that it was grossly offensive, was founding guilty of sending a 'grossly offensive communication'.
The message read: 'People gassin about the deaths of Soldiers! What about the innocent familys who have been brutally killed.
'The women who have been raped.The children who have been sliced up!
'Your enemy's were the Taliban not innocent harmful (sic) familys (sic).
'All soldiers should DIE & go to HELL! THE LOWLIFE F****N SCUM!
'gotta problem. go cry at your soldiers grave and wish him hell because thats where he is going.'
Huddersfield Magistrates Court heard Ahmed immediately started to receive critical comments on his page and realised the second half of his post was 'unacceptable'.
But he denied it was 'grossly offensive' - telling a district judge he thought it would have been 'upsetting' and caused 'distress'.
Sergeant Nigel Coupe, 33, of 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, was killed alongside Corporal Jake Hartley, 20, Private Anthony Frampton, 20, Private Christopher Kershaw, 19, Private Daniel Wade, 20, and Private Daniel Wilford, 21, all of 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment.
Ahmed, from Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, told the court he was only trying to make the point that many other deaths in Afghanistan were being ignored.
He said he had no idea it would cause so much upset.
Killed: The six soldiers (from top left) Sergeant Nigel Coupe, Corporal Jake Hartley Private Anthony Frampton, Private Christopher Kershaw, Private Daniel Wade and Private Daniel Wilford
Tension: Demonstrators stood outside Huddersfield Magistrates Court as Ahmed received his verdict
Ahmed told the court: 'I didn't intend to insult them at the time. When I read back on it, that's when I realised I had actually insulted and upset a lot of people.'
He said he replied with apologies to many people who commented on his page and when some told him they had lost relatives in Afghanistan he realised how serious it was.
He admitted: 'That's when I realised it was unacceptable for them to see something so upsetting and distressing, to write something like that.'
Earlier Niall Carlin, prosecuting, said the parents of one of the six soldiers who died in the incident saw the posting, which was copied around the internet.
Mr Carlin also read the statement of one woman, who went to the same school as Ahmed, who had lost two friends on duty in Afghanistan and was extremely distressed by what he wrote.
On guard: A strong police presence attended Huddersfield Magistrate Court during the hearing
Mistake: Azhar Ahmed told the court he hadn't menat to insult people and later realised his statement was unacceptable
The prosecutor also said the biscuit firm Fox's was inundated with complaints after Ahmed said he worked there on his Facebook profile.
Mr Carlin said the firm was so concerned about complaints and possible damage to their brand, it was discussed at the top level of it's parent company.
He also explained to the court how another man, with the same surname as Ahmed, was plagued with offensive calls and people waiting outside his home after his address was wrongly linked to the defendant's posting on the internet.
The court heard the man had to be given special police protection.
In court, Ahmed was bailed after the district judge told him she wanted a pre-sentence report prepared. He is due back in court for sentence on October 9.
After the trial, Ahmed left the court by a side door without saying anything and sped off in a waiting car past a number of police officers.
He avoided a demonstration of about 30 people at the front of the court building, some wearing EDL branded clothing and one flying a union flag.
The demonstrators were heavily outnumbered by police.
Earlier, the district judge heard how Ahmed posted his message two days after the deaths of the soldiers.
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