A Reading man has been spared jail after posting a racist image about England footballers on social media. 

Hugh Laidlaw, of Swallows Croft, posted an offensive image and comments targeted at the three black players who missed penalties shortly after the national team lost in the final of the European Championships to Italy last July. 

The 50-year-old posted the image on the Metal Detecting UK Facebook page, which offended and upset some of its members. 

Laidlaw was reported to police and questioned by officers. He told them he thought the image was funny after he had had a few drinks. 

He then tried to pretend his account had been hacked to distance himself from the post. 

Appearing at Reading Magistrates’ Court today (August 15), Laidlaw was given an eight-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months for one count of sending an offensive message. 

As well as this, the Reading man must pay a £1,000 fine, court costs of £775 and a victim surcharge of £775. 

Senior Crown Prosecutor Benjamin May of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Hugh Laidlaw’s hateful and racist post was a direct attack on England’s players, and those who it was shared with were left disgusted and upset.

“Racist abuse won’t be tolerated and, as this case has shown, where offensive content is reported to the police and our legal tests are met, we can successfully bring offenders to justice.”