Judge Jails PTSD Veteran Over Facebook Posts, Frees Child Rapist Due to Prison Crisis

The same UK judge sentenced a military veteran with PTSD to two years in prison for Facebook posts while allowing a convicted child rapist to walk free because prisons were too full.

Both decisions came from Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke at Cardiff Crown Court within months of each other.

Daffron Williams, 40, who served on tours of Afghanistan and Iraq, was jailed for two years for publishing material likely to stir up racial hatred after pleading guilty to posts made between July 19 and August 11.

Williams has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) relating to his time in the army, during which he served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Facebook Posts That Led to Prison

Williams posted "Let's just do something FFS" and "Civil war is here, the only thing that's missing is bullets, that's the next step" during a period of civil unrest.

When interviewed by police after his arrest, Williams said that "what was happening in the UK was affecting his mental health and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)" and apologized when shown the Facebook posts, which he told police he regretted.

Child Rapist Spared Prison Due to Overcrowding

Meanwhile, Rees Newman, 33, received a suspended sentence for the historic rape of a girl under the age of 14 in 2005.

Newman then violated the terms of his sentence by traveling to Egypt without notifying police as required.

Judge Lloyd-Clarke explicitly noted that Newman's avoidance of immediate custody was solely due to the current prison crisis, stating, "If we had been in different times then it would have been virtually inevitable that you would have gone into custody."

Two Different Standards of Justice

References submitted to the court on Williams' behalf made clear he served his community as well as his country and had organized charity events.

Newman was fined £2,000, plus £420 costs, and ordered to carry out 50 hours of unpaid work.

Williams received two years in prison while Newman avoided custody entirely due to a system that prioritizes space over justice.