RAF senior airman, 26, who posted on Facebook ’Join the military you get to kill black c**ts without going to prison' is jailed for 24 days
Saunders, pictured, deleted the post after 30 minutes but it was spotted by a black colleague who reported him
An RAF serviceman who urged people to join the military as 'you get to kill black c**ts and not go to prison' has been jailed.
Senior aircrew man Michael Saunders wrote the shocking comment on Facebook underneath a video showing black men assaulting a white woman.
The 26-year-old, who served at RAF Honington in Suffolk, posted the diatribe under the clip at some
point between May and August last year.
Despite him removing the message quickly an eagle-eyed colleague spotted the remark and posted it in a private WhatsApp Group as he was so appalled.
A black colleague then saw his foul-mouthed post, reported him and refused to work with him as he 'didn't trust him'.
After the complaint he was arrested and hauled before the military courts before pleading guilty to one count of improper use of a public communication network.
Prosecuting Major Neil Keery said: 'He posted a comment of "Like I say to my brother f*** all the black c***s, I mean all of them.
'"Join the military and you get to kill them without going to prison, it's f***ing fantastic".'
He added: 'A black colleague took offence to the post, he accepts it was not directed towards him personally but directed towards his ethnic group.
'During his initial interview Saunders showed remorse for the comment, it was noticed when it was read back to him he was embarrassed and apologised.'
In mitigation the court heard Saunders claimed not to be a racist and posted it as the video showed men attacking women.
And it was claimed Saunders took the post down after 30 minutes as he soon realised what he had done.
Colchester Military Court heard his colleague 'refused to serve' with Saunders, pictured, because of the remark
Defending Saunders, Declan Gallagher told Colchester Military Court Centre: 'His reaction was due to the male on female nature of the violence rather than ethnicity.
'There is no getting away from the grossly offensive nature of the post, it's a gut reaction he thought better of very soon afterwards.'
Assistant judge advocate Judge Robert Hill said the comment was 'not a million miles away' from trolling and sentenced the serviceman to 28 days detention, which was reduced to 24 due to his early guilty plea.
He said: 'It's something put up by someone, in the vernacular, wouldn't have the bottle to say it to someone's face and hid behind a keyboard.
'The military implications of doing that are quite serious, we have heard in this case of the black colleague who refused to serve with you because of it.
'Military efficiency depends on camaraderie and good relationships between colleagues and this sort of poisonous behaviour of course spoils relationships.'
Senior aircrew man Michael Saunders wrote the shocking comment on Facebook underneath a video showing black men assaulting a white woman.
The 26-year-old, who served at RAF Honington in Suffolk, posted the diatribe under the clip at some
point between May and August last year.
Despite him removing the message quickly an eagle-eyed colleague spotted the remark and posted it in a private WhatsApp Group as he was so appalled.
A black colleague then saw his foul-mouthed post, reported him and refused to work with him as he 'didn't trust him'.
After the complaint he was arrested and hauled before the military courts before pleading guilty to one count of improper use of a public communication network.
Prosecuting Major Neil Keery said: 'He posted a comment of "Like I say to my brother f*** all the black c***s, I mean all of them.
'"Join the military and you get to kill them without going to prison, it's f***ing fantastic".'
He added: 'A black colleague took offence to the post, he accepts it was not directed towards him personally but directed towards his ethnic group.
'During his initial interview Saunders showed remorse for the comment, it was noticed when it was read back to him he was embarrassed and apologised.'
In mitigation the court heard Saunders claimed not to be a racist and posted it as the video showed men attacking women.
And it was claimed Saunders took the post down after 30 minutes as he soon realised what he had done.
Colchester Military Court heard his colleague 'refused to serve' with Saunders, pictured, because of the remark
Defending Saunders, Declan Gallagher told Colchester Military Court Centre: 'His reaction was due to the male on female nature of the violence rather than ethnicity.
'There is no getting away from the grossly offensive nature of the post, it's a gut reaction he thought better of very soon afterwards.'
Assistant judge advocate Judge Robert Hill said the comment was 'not a million miles away' from trolling and sentenced the serviceman to 28 days detention, which was reduced to 24 due to his early guilty plea.
He said: 'It's something put up by someone, in the vernacular, wouldn't have the bottle to say it to someone's face and hid behind a keyboard.
'The military implications of doing that are quite serious, we have heard in this case of the black colleague who refused to serve with you because of it.
'Military efficiency depends on camaraderie and good relationships between colleagues and this sort of poisonous behaviour of course spoils relationships.'
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