‘Behead mosque raider’ post lands man in court

CCTV footage of the mosque intruder

A FATHER-OF-TWO has admitted offering a £1,000 reward online for the BEHEADING of a man who burgled a Werneth mosque.

Mohammed Bashir (26), of Monmouth Street, Oldham, uploaded a CCTV image of a man stealing from the Jamia Masjid mosque offering £1,000 for someone to behead him.

Bashir was “smoking a spliff” with his friends, while discussing a robbery at the mosque where he is a member. When he got home he offered the reward on classified ad site Gumtree.

The reward - posted twice under the titles “Reward Beheading” and “Werneth Reward” was reported to police by another user.

Bashir pleaded guilty to sending a menacing message at Oldham Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

Prosecutor Gareth Hughes said the post was removed after 15 minutes, and police then discovered who had posted it.

Bashir, who works for Morrisons, immediately admitted he had acted stupidly - shortly after making the post he tried to remove it, but by that time it had aleady been removed.

Naila Akhtar, defending Bashir, told the court her client had been through a tough time after losing a daughter last year. Bashir’s daughter Eliza tragically died after swallowing a battery.

Ms Akhtar said he wouldn’t have made the post if he hadn’t been under the influence of cannabis.

Magistrates adjourned the case for reports. Magistrate George White said: “In the current climate, it is a very serious matter — extremely serious and causes extreme distress.”

Bashir will be sentenced on February 24..