A factory worker made a series of racist Facebook posts about Muslims after he found out his partner used to be in a relationship with one.

Joseph Wheatley, of Sheerness, also posted obscene comments, as well as “tell me you didn’t like Muslims” publicly on the social networking site.

The incidents happened on New Year’s Eve last year after he got into a drunken row with his partner, who he is still in a relationship with.

The 43-year-old was later charged with sending offensive messages via a public communication network and admitted the offence when he appeared in court in August.

A pre-sentencing report was carried out on him before he was sentenced and he returned to Medway Magistrates’ Court on October 24 to hear his fate.

Elizabeth Evans, prosecuting, said: “This is a domestic abuse-related case and Kent Police were alerted to an online report of racist messages about the Muslim faith and Islam.

“Screenshots were taken of the messages and it transpired he had been arguing with his partner after he learned she had an earlier relationship with a Muslim man.

“The posts said: ‘My girlfriend has been f****** by Muslim, Muslim f***** and tell me you didn’t like Muslims’, the messages were sent just to annoy her during the spat.

“It’s a hate crime offence.”

Defending himself, Wheatley told magistrates he was going through a bad time when he posted the messages on Facebook.

He added: “I’m not racist. We argued on New Year’s Eve. I was bang on the drink and she was arguing with me. It was anything to get a rise out of her.

“The messages were deleted and I fell asleep. There were text messages too.

“I was in the wrong, I am more embarrassed than anyone else.”

The court was told Wheatley works full-time as a machine filler in a steelworks factory, earning £14 an hour and usually works 60 hours a week.

Magistrates said they would go along with the recommendations of the pre-sentencing report and placed him on a 12-month community order which will see him complete 100 hours of unpaid work and attend 20 rehabilitation sessions with probation.

He would have been ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work, but magistrates lifted the penalty to 100 because of the hate element of the crime.

Wheatley was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £114 as well as £85 court costs and will pay what he owes the court at a rate of 35 a month.