Wark man in court for posting "sick" comments about dead people on Facebook

Paul Hind (38) of Westacres, Wark, appeared in front of South East Northumberland Magistrates Court on Thursday.

Hind pleaded guilty to four separate offences of conveying false information which was indecent or grossly offensive, relating to four dead people.

Hind called Olivia Burt, a Durham University student who died from head injuries after an incident outside the city's Missoula nightclub in February, a "sex worker" and "prostitute" on social media site Facebook.

Ms Burt's parents, Nigel and Paula Burt, attended the hearing. Mr Burt said that the posts were a "desecration" of his daughters memory and had made he and his wife feel "physically sick."

"The person who carried out this trolling can only be described as a sick sadist who knows that they are adding to our anguish and gets enjoyment out of this," Mr Burt said.

"Even though the Facebook posts have now gone, we keep expecting them to reappear on some other social media platform.

"This is causing us continuing anxiety and distress."

Hind also targeted a tribute page for Hannah Witheridge, a 23-year-old who was killed on the Thai island of Koh Tao in 2014, along with 24-year-old Joe Tilley, who was found dead at the bottom of a waterfall in Colombia in May, and 19-year-old Duncan Sim, whose remains were found at West Sands in St Andrews earlier this year.

Hind will appear at Newcastle Crown Court on September 27 for sentencing. He was released on conditional bail until the hearing.

Hind must live and sleep at his address in Wark, have no access to social media, and must not delete his search history.

Speaking after the hearing, he claimed he was "deeply sorry" for his actions that were done "for attention" whilst he was "highly intoxicated".

Hind said: "All I can say to the families for the actions I have committed is sorry, that is all I can say - sorry.

"I don't expect them to accept any apology from me whatsoever for what I have done."