An engineer sent bizarre messages to companies – claiming to be an ISIS terrorist, a racist who hates black people and a cannibal.
Enqian Liu used friends’ details to contact Australian and British businesses, mainly salons and fitness firms, which he wrongly believed were fake.
The 33-year-old’s offensive communications were part of a “prank” over a three-day period, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
Defending Liu, his lawyer said that her “very remorseful” client “was drunk and just saying stupid things” in messages that “do not reflect his beliefs”.
But Liu, who was described as “extremely naive and immature” by the sheriff, was fined almost £600.
‘I will kill all the Christians to sacrifice for ISIS’
Fiscal depute Stephanie Cardow said the victimised businesses all used an app called Fresha to receive and manage bookings and Liu used it to contact them.
On January 2 of this year, the owner of Glasgow-based beauty salon USA Nails and Beauty contacted the police after receiving a threatening message.
In it, Liu gave his friend’s name and said: “I am the terrorist who will revenge for ISIS. I will fire the bomb in your store at 11am tomorrow.
“I will kill all the Christians to sacrifice for ISIS. Allah! I bet you don’t dare to call the police!!!!!!!”
The owner was “too afraid” to turn up at her salon and contacted the police.
‘I want to kill all the black peoples’
Around the same time, three other business owners also reported messages received through the Fresha app to the police.
In a message to the owner of Muscle in Motion, Liu said: “I am the cannibal and I like to eat human meat. I want to cut people in to pieces.
“I want to take cocaine,” he added and made a sexual reference.
The owner of the club Gym Wellness also received a similar message.
And in another one to the owner of Picture Perfect Aesthetics, Liu made sickening racist comments.
He said: “I am the racist against black people and I support Nazi.
“I want to kill all the black peoples in the world because they don’t deserve to live on the earth!!!!!!”
A ‘prank’ to ‘fake websites’
On January 3, Liu’s friend contacted the police to report receiving various messages he’d received regarding bookings made using his phone number.
Mrs Cardow said: “He advised the police that he had not made these bookings and provided his mobile to the police”.
Another friend had also received identical messages to his work email address regarding bookings he had not made.
The fiscal depute added: “The police obtained a spreadsheet which showed, in total, 401 bookings were made for various services, all with disconcerting messages, all sent between December 31 and January 2”.
Liu was traced, cautioned and charged.
On February 20, Liu told officers over the phone that he “sent the messages” and did so because he was “drunk”.
In a police interview, he said he sent the messages as a “prank” to what he believed were “fake websites”.
He added he had “fallen out” with his friend due to him being blocked on social media sites, and he’d used another friend’s email address as he did not know the first friend’s.
‘The messages do not reflect his beliefs’
Liu pled guilty to a charge of sending messages that were grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character.
He admitted that the communications were aggravated by both racial and religious prejudices.
Defence agent Jenny Logan said her client, who had no previous convictions, had been drinking when he sent the messages and had thought the companies were fake or scam sites.
She said: “He is very remorseful. He realises he should not have done it. It was a joke and a prank.
“The messages do not reflect his beliefs. He was drunk and just saying stupid things.”
Sheriff Margaret Hodge told Liu: “It does seem you were extremely naive and immature at the time”.
The sheriff fined Liu, of Boddie Place in Aberdeen, £590.
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