29 February 2024 , 17:25
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A man who took a photo of his brother in the dock at court ended up in jail three days later.
Kane Thompson posted images with 'silly' messages from Newcastle Crown Court on Monday, with emojis. He was brought to the same dock three days later after the pictures were seen on Facebook and Instagram.
Thompson, 24, of no fixed abode pleaded guilty to two contempt of court charges and was jailed for six months. The court heard how Thompson had been in the public gallery in the courtroom on Monday at the trial of six people charged with violent disorder in connection with the death of Gordon Gault, 14. One of the defendants was Kane's brother, Liam Thompson, 28.
Judge Edward Bindloss became aware of photos taken in the court showing Liam Thompson in the dock, along with a dock officer. The judge arranged for his brother Kane to be arrested on Tuesday and an investigation was carried out overnight. He admitted taking the photos and distributing them by uploading them to social media.
In sentencing Kane, who the court heard had a previous conviction for witness intimidation, to six months behind bars Judge Bindloss said: "This is a sensitive and serious case.
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Gordon Gault,14, of Newcastle, was killed in a brutal assault in Elswick (NCJ Media)"They were on trial for violent disorder in which a young man was killed. You knew taking photos was not permitted, you knew your brother was on trial. You were reckless as to whether this trial would be disrupted. Liam in one of your photos was seen to be posing for you. There are emojis and the caption 'Slim Jim.' .
"The photos are no longer on your Instagram or Facebook to view, but any screenshotted copies could still be distributed to numbers unknown. It's not known how far they have been disseminated." The judge added that court dock officers are entitled to anonymity while at work, but the pictures Thompson posted clearly showed the face of one.
In mitigation, Mairi Clancy explained that the images had been posted to Thompson's Instagram stories so would have only been visible for 24 hours, and he deleted them when he realised what he had done wrong. And she said his actions were the result of "stupidity" and he had not intended to cause any harm. "His position is he panicked on realising the seriousness of what he had done," she said. "This was an extremely stupid and idiotic thing for him to do, but nothing more sinister than stupidity and naivety.
The machete recovered by police investigating the killing of Gordon Gault (NCJ Media)"It's not accepted there was any intention to intimidate or interfere. He's a habitual poster on social media and acted incredibly stupidly. He offers his apology for what he had done. He deleted the post as soon as he realised the severity of what he had done. Belonging to a generation where everyday life is posted constantly on social media, he has not come to court with the aim of disrupting proceedings or prejudicing the trial.
"The focus of the photos is his brother in the dock. They were lighthearted. He's posted some quite silly captions and an emoji with sunglasses." Thompson smiled as he was led out of the dock to begin his prison sentence for taking the photos.
Gordon, 14, died in hospital six days after he was stabbed with a machete in the Elswick area of Newcastle, in November 2022. Last month, six teenagers were cleared of Gordon's murder following a trial at Newcastle Crown Court.
Two were found guilty of manslaughter. Liam Thompson, 28, of no fixed abode, was was remanded in custody, while the other five were granted bail until their sentencing hearing next month.