Father of four is accused of posting pro-ISIS video of Tony Blair in flames

A father of four posted videos online promoting the terrorist group Isis including one which featured the former prime minister, Tony Blair, in flames, a court has heard. Gary Staples, 50, denies eight counts of encouraging terrorism at the Old Bailey.

The court heard how Staples, who was arrested in November 2016, had shared videos to YouTube and Google Plus between May and September 2016 showing "Islamic extremist material", the prosecution said.

One of the alleged videos featuring the former prime minister was superimposed with flames, the Daily Mirror reported.

That video came with text that told non-believers to "sleep with one eye open" and an image of the black flag carried by ISIS fighters.

One of the videos Staples is alleged to have shared was created by a media arm of the Islamist militants while another eight were allegedly created by Staples himself.

The videos also featured Osama bin Laden, the prosecution said, while pictures of hate preacher Anjem Choudhury were also allegedly found on Staple's computer.

"Such material serves to create a culture in which a certain person comes to think and believe that terrorism acts are acceptable and ought to be emulated," prosecutor Ben Lloyd told the court, according to the mirror.

The Croydon Advertiser reported that several of the videos were played to the court, including one which featured a song with lyrics that translated to mean "surely death is the path of the jihad".

Quoted in the advertiser, Lloyd said that the case was "not about the practice of Islam", adding: "this case is about the production and distribution of terrorist publications, which for a good reason is not lawful."