Man sentenced for antisemitic social media post hours after deadly Manchester synagogue terror attack

Thursday, 29 January 2026 11:52

By David Murphy

A 20-year-old man who posted a hateful antisemitic message online hours after a terror attack on a Manchester synagogue has been sentenced.

Aiden Stanley, from Manchester, admitted to posting a grossly offensive message on social media just six hours after the Heaton Park synagogue attack in which two people were killed.

At Manchester City Magistrates Court, Stanley was sentenced to an 18-month community order, including 20 rehabilitation activity days and a £160 fine. The court applied a sentence uplift to reflect the hate crime element of the offence.

On 2 October 2025 at around 3.30pm, Stanley used a dagger emoji and wrote “should have been me who done it” in a social media post later reported to police.

He was arrested the following day and, during a police interview, admitted his post targeted Jewish people. He told officers he made the comment to impress others who might find it “funny”.

Stanley pleaded guilty to sending a grossly offensive message during an earlier hearing on 6 October 2025.

Peter Conroy, District Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service North West, said: “Stanley knowingly posted a grossly offensive, antisemitic message on social media.

“The timing of the post, within just six hours of the devastating synagogue attack in which two people died, makes it all the more disturbing.

“Stanley wanted to provoke a community already facing enormous suffering. His sickening actions were made worse by the fact that many were mourning the loss of family and friends.

“There is no place for hate in our society and we will continue to work with partners to bring those who spread hate in our communities to justice.”

The Community Security Trust (CST), which works to protect British Jews from terrorism and antisemitism, also welcomed the prosecution.

A CST spokesperson said: “At a moment of shock and grief, his actions were callous and deliberate, amplifying an already heightened sense of fear.

“This prosecution demonstrates that those who seek to exploit acts of terrorism to intimidate or incite hatred will be held to account. We are grateful to the police and the CPS for their swift and decisive response."

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