John Parkin has been jailed for attempting to burn down the mosque in Rhyl
John Parkin has been jailed for attempting to burn down the mosque in Rhyl

An ex-soldier has been banned from every mosque in England and Wales after attempting to burn down his local masjid following the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby.

John Parkin, 27, of Towyn, was also jailed for 18 months for the attempted arson in Rhyl.

The court heard how Parkin drank 15 pints before attempting to set the mosque on fire by stuffing a tissue into a bottle of beer and setting it alight.

Parkin admitted to threatening to burn down the mosque and a charge of religiously aggravated disorderly behaviour.

The judge at Mold Crown Court described Parkin as an inherent racist who posed a high risk of harm to certain members of the community before imposing the ban and jail sentence.

Judge Niclas Parry told Parkin: "There was a depressing inevitability that people such as you would claim that the tragic events involving Lee Rigby would be some form of justification for what are nothing less than the acts of bigots and yobs."

The court heard how Parkin attempted to gain entry into a nightclub but was refused after he told staff he just needed "a bottle of strong alcohol to burn down the mosque".

He then purchased a bottle of beer from a shop and attempted to set it alight by burning tissues he had stuffed into it.

Police were alerted to Parkin's intentions by the club staff. He was monitored on CCTV attempting to set fire to the bottle on the premises of the religious building.

After he was arrested and cautioned, Parkin asked police officers: "Do you like Muslims?"

He also made a series of inflammatory remarks while under arrest, including suggesting police protected Muslims instead of the English and making a "serious threat" to burn down the mosque.

Parkin said he was drunk when he was arrested and does not remember what he said.

Two people have been charged with the murder of Rigby in Woolwich on 22 May. His death sparked a series of anti-Islamic attacks on mosques and Islamic centres across the country.

The family of Rigby condemned the disorder that followed his death, saying he would not have wanted people to use his name to carry out attacks.