A MAN who sent a torrent of abusive messages to a takeaway owner on social media has been spared jail.

Jordan Theobald sent shocking threats to two men on Facebook, including more than 60 messages to Fachin Ahmed, of Barrow's Mithali takeaway.

South Cumbria Magistrates' Court heard the 27-year-old threatened to 'burn' the man in a series of offensive messages sent to him over the course of a day in May 2020.

Theobald also sent a number of abusive messages to another man the following day.

The defendant pleaded guilty to two charges of using Facebook to send grossly offensive, obscene or menacing messages to Mr Ahmed as well as Mohammed Ramzan between May 21 and 22.

The court heard that Theobald sent a total of 65 messages to Mr Ahmed over Facebook Messenger.

In the sickening messages, he called the takeaway boss a 'child rapist' and threatened to come to his shop and 'burn' him.

Theobald also sent a number of other racist messages to the man, prosecutors said.

He was also said to have made similar comments to the other victim.

Alongside those the court heard he sent insulting messages and made comments on Facebook posts about the man's wife and family.

Magistrates heard Theobald does not know either of the victims personally.

The messages were sent after rumours of sexual abuse perpetrated by businesses in Barrow circulated on Facebook. Bosses have strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Having heard the facts of the case, magistrates deemed both offences to have been racially aggravated.

They sentenced him to a 12-week prison sentence suspended for two years.

Sparing him a prison sentence, they heard in mitigation that Theobald, of Priorsgate in Morecambe, had no previous convictions, had shown genuine remorse and had childcare responsibilities.

He was also said to have accepted he 'got involved in a situation shouldn't have'.

Theobald was also told to carry put 180 hours of unpaid work in the community.

Alongside that he was ordered to pay a £128 victim surcharge and £85 in court costs.