Former West Yorkshire Police detention officer sentenced over offensive social media posts

A former West Yorkshire Police (WYP) detention officer has been ordered to carry out 100 hours unpaid work after admitting a charge under the Terrorism Act, as well as another of sharing a grossly offensive message, in relation to posts he shared on Twitter.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) directed an investigation, which was carried out by Counter Terrorism Policing North East (CTPNE), into social media posts made by William Loyd-Hughes, 27.

Loyd-Hughes, who was based at Huddersfield Police Station, admitted publishing images in support of a proscribed organisation, contrary to the Terrorism Act 2000, as well as one charge under the Communications Act 2003 of sharing a grossly offensive message on Twitter.

We received a mandatory referral from WYP in September 2022 and determined it should be investigated by CTPNE under our direction.

Among the posts reviewed were one with images of masked individuals holding firearms while wearing paramilitary gear, posing in front of Ulster Defence Association flags. They were accompanied by a message showing support for the organisation, which is proscribed under the Terrorism Act.

Another of the posts on the same Twitter account shared a racist message alongside a video of people dancing. The post contained a slur used to refer to Black people and in a reply to his own post, Loyd-Hughes used a hashtag implying support for killing Black people.

IOPC Regional Director Emily Barry said: “The racist and deeply offensive views shared by Loyd-Hughes on his Twitter account are dangerous, vile and have absolutely no place in policing – or society as a whole. His shocking actions could not be further from the standards expected of a police employee, and are a total betrayal of not only public trust, but that of his colleagues too.

“It is thanks to a thorough investigation by CTPNE, under the direction of the IOPC, that Loyd-Hughes now has a criminal record. This serves as a clear message that this kind of behaviour will not be tolerated and those who think they can hide behind anonymous accounts to share disgusting messages like these should expect to be found out and be held accountable for their actions.

“On conclusion of the investigation, we also determined Loyd-Hughes had a case to answer for gross misconduct and it will now be for West Yorkshire Police to arrange the disciplinary proceedings.”

Loyd-Hughes, who has resigned from the force, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today (19 April) where he was given a community order to carry out 100 hours unpaid work and required to undergo rehabilitation. He was also made to pay a £114 victim surcharge and £85 costs.