Royal Barnes And Rebekah Dawson, British Muslim Converts, Jailed For 'Sick' Lee Rigby YouTube Videos

British Muslim Couple Jailed For Posting 'Offensive' YouTube Videos About Lee Rigby
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A British Muslim couple were sentenced to jail on Friday for posting "offensive" YouTube videos that glorified the killing of Fusilier Lee Rigby.

Rebekah Dawson, 22, and her husband Royal Barnes, 23, uploaded three videos to the site soon after the murder of Rigby, for which Barnes was jailed for five years and four months, having pleaded guilty to three counts of disseminating a terrorist publication and one of inciting murder at the Old Bailey.

Dawson, who wore a veil in court, also admitted to charges of disseminating a terrorist publication, for which she received a sentence of 20 months.

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Royal Barnes laughing uncontrollably as he drove past tributes to Rigby

The first video, which was posted the day after rigby was hacked to death in Woolwich, southeast London, in May last year, showed Barnes hailing the killing as a "brilliant" day. The clip also features a graphic of a man holding a decapitated head, the murder scene in Woolwich and a picture of the Twin Towers in New York.

The second video featured Dawson ranting about how British troops would be killed on the streets of London, while the third showed Barnes laughing hysterically as he drove past floral tributes to the soldier alongside his partner.

Judge Brian Barker QC said the couple had "a total and continuing disregard" for the family of the murdered soldier, while describing the videos as "offensive in the extreme".

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Barnes, 23, and Dawson 22, of Hackney, north east London, embraced in the dock and insisted they would not be separated by a security guard at the start of the hearing. Before sentencing, the judge asked Dawson's lawyer to confirm the defendant was the woman in the dock in the full veil.

Prosecutor Kate Wilkinson said Dawson sent links of the videos to contacts and friends and received some negative comments back.

One friend said to her: "Can you please stop sending me these links. I'm not interested in it." Another told Dawson: "Be careful with the YouTube stuff." Dawson replied: "My husband took this one down. If they got that they would have arrested. Have you watched it - it was really inciting and almost glorifying. LOL."

Dawson called her husband "Babes" in messages between them discussing the videos. In one, she told Barnes: "Babes, someone has reported the laughing video. It has been removed." Barnes, who knew one of the murderers, Michael Adebowale, also posted on Facebook the offer of a reward for avenging the rape of an Iraqi woman. None of his 500 friends replied.

The post on June 12 2013 stated: ''Any1 who kills an invading soldier in Muslim land I will give them a Vauxhall Astra 3door and money (French British American any kaffir soldier take ur pick).'' Michael Adebolajo, 29, was given a whole-life term and Adebowale, 22, was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 45 years at a hearing last month after being found guilty of Fusilier Rigby's murder.

The British Muslim converts ran the soldier down in a car before hacking him to death with a meat cleaver and knives in a frenzied attack. They dumped his body in the middle of the road near Woolwich Barracks.

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Screen grab taken from a video of Rebekah Dawson

Dawson has no previous convictions, apart from a charge of witness intimidation that she has admitted and is awaiting sentence for, the court was told. But Barnes has a string of convictions for using threatening words or behaviour, and one for assault on a security guard at a mosque. He also has a five-year anti-social behaviour order (Asbo) for taking part in vigilante patrols of east London promoting Sharia law, the court was told.

Mitigating for Barnes, Naeem Mian told the court: "There are no ifs, no buts, no maybes, Mr Barnes makes it absolutely clear that these are idiotic acts borne out of breathtaking stupidity." He said his client was vulnerable to coming under bad influences, having been taken into care at the age of eight and prevented from attending his mother's funeral after she died in custody.

Dawson's lawyer Susan Meek said her client, who had been studying at university, also came under the influence of others and her dreams of becoming a teacher were now in tatters. She said: "Over the last nine months, her faith and dress has been put under national and international limelight and it has caused her to reflect deeply about her belief and the way she lives her life and her religion.

"There is an understanding from her all she wants now is to live a life quietly, legally, as a wife to her husband and have a family."

The judge, who is Recorder of London, sentenced Barnes to 26 months in jail for each of the three counts relating to the YouTube videos. Barker said the charge of inciting murder was more serious because it "encouraged others to carry on the war against the West" and kill soldiers.

For this, he handed Barnes five years and four months' imprisonment, all to run concurrently. Dawson was sentenced to 20 months' imprisonment for each of the first three charges, to run concurrently. Barker told the couple: "Freedom of speech has long been jealously regarded by the law but with that freedom comes respect and responsibility."