Man arrested over offensive and insulting homophobic tweet

Organisers of the Shropshire Rainbow Film Festival were shocked to receive the tweet which was deemed offensive and insulting.

The tweet included the phrase "have fire extinguishers ready" and organisers said it could have been seen as a "veiled threat".

Geoff Hardy, a spokesman for the film festival, said: "The tweet was not only unpleasant and insulting, it also contained what we saw as veiled threat to the Festival Drayton Centre and our audience, so we contacted Twitter and the police."

The tweet was sent as a response to organisers posting that the screening of Big Eden in Market Drayton was just two hours away.

The film tackles issues surrounding sexuality and follows the journey of a man coming out in his home town.

Police have confirmed that a 45-year-old man from Wellington has since been charged with sending an indecent or offensive message by public communication network.

He will appear in Shrewsbury Crown Court on February 17.

Mr Hardy said: "The police were very supportive, seeing it as very serious. They arrived at the venue shortly after us, took a statement and hung around for a while.

"The next day we were informed that the person who wrote the message had been arrested, the Crown Prosecution Service had been sent details. The offender has since entered a guilty plea.

"The organisers were very pleased with their response and the swift decision to press charges.

"It goes to show that incidents like this are taken very seriously and should always be reported.

"It also shows how necessary safe and welcoming places for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are and the need for events that increase visibility and celebrate our lives.

"This has reaffirmed our commitment to running the Festival and screenings around Shropshire."