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Liam Stacey posted 'racially offensive' Twitter remark about Fabrice Muamba after he collapsed


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Liam Stacey posted 'racially offensive' Twitter remark about Fabrice Muamba after he collapsed

Pictured: Student 'troll' who posted 'racially offensive' tweet about Muamba just hours after player suffered heart attack

Liam Stacey is told he could be sent to prison for his comments on social networking site

Swansea University student pleaded guilty to a racially-aggravated public order offence to incite violence

Campaign launched to have him thrown off his course and university confirm they are investigating

21-year-old's initial message on Twitter was posted just moments after Muamba had collapsed

His tweets were reported by a number of Twitter users - including former England and Liverpool striker Stan Collymore

Biology undergraduate admitted to police he had sent the tweets after getting drunk watching Wales v France in the Six Nations rugby match

Could face jail: Liam Stacey, 21, admitted making racially offensive remarks about Fabrice Muamba on Twitter after the Bolton Wanderers footballer collapsed on the pitch during an FA Cup match

This is the university student facing jail for writing shocking racist internet messages after footballer Fabrice Muamba collapsed with heart failure.

Liam Stacey admitted posting the comments on Twitter, which were forwarded to police by disgusted fellow users.

The 21-year-old undergraduate could be thrown off his biology degree course after his fellow students launched a campaign to have him kicked out.

Today Swansea University bosses confirmed they were investigating whether he should be disciplined.

After pleading guilty to inciting racial hatred yesterday Stacey was released on bail on condition he stays off Twitter and other social networking sites.

And he was warned by magistrates that all options would be considered when he is sentenced next week.

His messages – which started with ‘LOL [laugh out loud]. **** Muamba. He’s dead!!!’ – provoked widespread revulsion and a furious reaction from several Premier League stars.

Bolton player Muamba has been in intensive care since collapsing during Saturday’s FA Cup tie between his side and Tottenham.

As the 23-year-old’s family monitor his condition, a wave of insensitive tweets have caused outrage.

Yesterday Stacey appeared close to tears in court as the details of his comments were relayed to magistrates. Prosecutor Lisa Jones told a court: ‘Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch and was believed to have died. Shortly after, Stacey posted on Twitter: “LOL [laugh out loud], **** Muamba. He’s dead.”

‘A number of persons on the site took issue with the posting and he responded to them furthering his message.’

She went on to describe Stacey’s racist comments directed at other Twitter users – some of who were black men – and which are too offensive to print.

QPR defender Anton Ferdinand and Sunderland defender Titus Bramble both appealed for their followers to petition Twitter to ban him from the site.

Upsetting: Fabrice Muamba is treated by medical staff on Saturday after collapsing. A court heard that Liam Stacey, 21, posted mocking tweets as the midfielder was treated on the pitch

Shock: Bolton manager Owen Coyle (left) walks alongside the stretcher as medical staff take Fabrice Muamba off the pitch before he was transferred to hospital

Walken then responded bizarrely: ‘Why am I getting all this hate mail? Makes me wish the USA would have just let Hitler have his way with you ungrateful heathens.’

Former Liverpool striker Ryan Babel accused Twitter itself of being racist if it didn’t suspend Walken’s account within seven days.

Another user, going by the name of SuperAlex707, left a message saying ‘lets [sic] all lol at muamba [...] hahahahahahah’. His profile had yesterday apparently been withdrawn from the site.

Stacey told police he had written his own vile messages after drinking while celebrating the Welsh rugby team’s Grand Slam victory on Saturday. He was arrested in the early hours of the following morning at his home in Swansea.

Magistrates heard how the student attempted to ‘distance himself’ from the comments by saying his account had been hacked into.

And he sent a text message to a friend saying: ‘I said something about Muamba that I shouldn’t have and tweeted back to some people who abused me.

‘Getting police on me now which isn’t good at all.’ He later tried to delete his Twitter page.

Swansea University said it strongly disassociated itself from any racist tweets and had begun its own formal disciplinary process into the matter.

A spokesman said: 'We are an equal opportunities university and strongly disassociate ourselves from any racist tweets.

'We will of course co-operate fully with the police investigation. We have also begun our own formal disciplinary process.'

A petition calling for him to be chucked out of the University now has more than 200 signatures.

Twitter user Elliot Pawley said: 'Hopefully Liam Stacey will get kicked out of Swansea uni, people need to realise that what they can’t say/do anything on the internet!'

The student union also distanced themselves from Stacey and his racist remarks.

Student President Luke James said: 'We have a strong record of campaigning against racism. Our students have been united in condemning these comments.'

'God is in control': Shauna Magunda, right, Fabrice Muamba's fiancee, has urged her Twitter followers to keep the Bolton player in their prayers as he fights for life

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