A father-of-two who set up a racist Facebook group was told he was fortunate to have escaped a jail term.

Kalum Dyson, of Frances Street in Brighouse, created a group called “Pakis Die” on the social networking website. The 21-year-old also posted messages including one which said: “Help me shoot all the Pakis.” One of his listed friends, who is believed to have had an Asian boyfriend, complained to police after he sent her an invitation to join the group.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of sending an offensive or indecent, obscene or menacing electronic communication at Calderdale Magistrates’ Court yesterday. Dyson, who has children aged two years and just five-weeks-old and works as a floor layer, was given a community order. But chairman of the bench Tim Cole told him the offence was so serious it could have merited a jail term.

Dyson admitted setting up the site, which Facebook immediately removed, and told officers Muslims “should understand what the British Army was fighting for”. But he also said he was not racist, claiming he had “black” friends.

Dyson, who lives with his parents, was given a 12-month community order, to include 150 hours of unpaid community work, and a 30-day curfew. He must stay at home between the hours of 9pm and 5am. He was also ordered to pay £85 court costs.

Huddersfield Examiner, 10 December 2010

See also the Halifax Courier which reports Dyson’s lawyer as stating that her client “started the group to get people’s views on what they thought about the Army and ongoing protests against them by Muslims”.