'Treated me like I was a MURDERER!' Ex-Prison officer proved 'not guilty' of stirring up racial hatred in Southport Riots

Former prison officer Mark Heath has spoken out after he was proven "not guilty" of stirring up racial hatred in the Southport riots.

Heath was charged with "inciting racial hatred" after a series of posts on social media, that he claimed were "right-wing" and not "far-right."

Speaking exclusively to GB News, he said: "There was three officers at all times. It was like I was a murderer.

"If I'm honest, there's a lot of pressure to plead guilty. There were talks of how there was no way out of this. People were being put into prison.

"There was an awful lot of pressure. I felt a lot of pressure to be going down that route by different individuals.

"That was all the way through the process. I mean, I had to go to Magistrates Court first and do a plea there, which I pleaded not guilty.

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"They almost laughed at me as if to say, why are you pleading not guilty?

"It was like that and that was the plea hearing whilst I was in HMP Peterborough.

"They had to do it via video link, because of my health, I was in a wheelchair at this point."

He described his time in prison as feeling like he had a "target of his back."

He added: "Everybody was aware who I was, which was. It really freaked me out, to be honest.

"There was an incident where I ended up with Black Eye. I was obviously out on bail when the trial started. So I was being wheeled into court every day by my wife in a wheelchair.

"I found it the most stressful thing that has ever happened to me. I mean, we've been through a lot as a couple and as a family, but this, this really, really finished us."

Asked how he felt when he received the not guilty verdict, he said: "It was such a weight off my shoulders.

"It really was. It was like a big relief. I remember this pump in the air as it was.

"It was like I'd taken on the establishment, if you like, and won."

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