Downham man sentenced for Snapchat school shooting comment

Police were alerted by Interpol officers in the United States when a Downham man posted a photo of a handgun online with the caption “Just waiting to shoot up a school”.

Stewart Bainbridge, 20, sent the image to a closed group on Snapchat – an act which Lynn magistrates heard yesterday was a joke rather than any having any other intent.

Prosecuting, Nicola Pope said the image was sent on February 19 this year.

Acting on the information from America, police attended Bainbridge’s home in Gainsborough Close and seized a number of items, including his mobile phone.

He admitted that he had sent the photo and caption to a group of about 40 people.

Miss Pope added: “Clearly someone within that group was concerned.

“Mr Bainbridge said he had sent it at 9am the previous morning and thought it would be funny and found funny by his friends.”

Bainbridge told police he accepted it was sick and in bad taste and there was no motive other than thinking it would be a joke.

He pleaded guilty to sending offensive matter by public communication network.

In mitigation, solicitor Tiffany Meredith said it was a “silly joke” and the case had been a “very sobering experience” for her client. She had found him to be a very quiet, hardworking young man.

“Utterly opposite to the sort of person you might expect to send such an image,” she added.

Bainbridge was given a 12-month community order for 120 hours’ unpaid work and ordered to pay £85 costs and £85 victim surcharge. An order was also made for the forfeiture of a black BB gun.

Chairman of the magistrates’ bench, Stuart Hall, told Bainbridge: “An act of gross stupidity perhaps sums up what you did.

"It shows the danger of sending images over the internet where you lose control because you don’t know who is going to see it.”