RAF man jailed for Facebook race slur

A SERVICEMAN who boasted that joining the military allowed him to kill ‘black *****’ without going to prison has been jailed.

Michael Saunders, of the RAF Regiment, wrote the comment under a video someone had posted on Facebook of black men assaulting a white woman.

He removed it shortly afterwards but it had already been re-posted in a private social media group by a colleague.

A black comrade saw it and reported Saunders to military chiefs, saying he couldn’t work with him as he ‘didn’t trust him’.

The 26-year- old has now been jailed for 24 days by Colchester Military Court Centre in Essex after admitting improper use of a public communication network.

Assistant Judge Advocate Robert Hill accused the senior aircrew man of cowardly behaviour and of endangering the effectiveness of the RAF. He said: ‘It’s something put up by someone who, 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

‘Hid behind a keyboard’

camaraderie and good relationships between colleagues and this sort of poisonous behaviour of course spoils relationships.’

Saunders, who is based at RAF Honington in Suffolk, posted the comment between last summer under the violent clip uploaded by an unknown individual.

The footage of two or three black men beating up a white woman had received 3,000 ‘likes’. It is now known where or when it was taken.

A colleague took a picture of the comment and copied it to a private WhatsApp group. A few weeks later the black colleague became aware of the offensive comment and reported it.

Prosecutor Major Neil Keery told the court martial last week: ‘He posted a comment of “Like I say to my brother **** all the black *****, I mean all of them. Join the military and you will get to kill them without going to prison, it’s ******* fantastic”.’

Saunders, who is single and has served in the RAF for six years, claimed he had removed his post within 30 minutes after realising how offensive it was. He will be allowed to continue working with the RAF after serving his time.