Northern Ireland man sentenced for making online death threats to Jacinda Ardern

November 8, 2019

Matthew Burns, 20, was sentenced to 100 hours of community service over the online threats.

A 20-year-old man from Northern Ireland's been sentenced to 100 hours of community service over death threats he sent to Jacinda Ardern and London mayor Sadiq Khan.

Matthew Burns pleaded guilty to sending online threats to the Prime Minister and Mr Khan.

Burns tweeted a photo of a gun to Ms Ardern following the Christchurch terrorist attack with the message "you're next".

District judge Eamonn King, at Newry Magistrates' Court in Northern Ireland, said Burns had posted the offensive comments to make him feel important, the BBC reported. 

"I can understand that if there are issues in real life, that you don't get a buzz in real life, you hope to get it on social media, and what happens… you create a monster," he said.

"When you put offensive comments online you are met with a blizzard of responses and engagement. That increases your feeling of self-worth. You feel more important.

"Someone is listening to you and it increases your self-esteem, so you then say something even more outrageous and that escalates and escalates."

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