A man has been jailed for 15 months for posting racist video clips on YouTube.

Gareth Hemingway admitted five offences under the Public Order Act at Leeds Crown Court on Monday.

The court heard he had posted five videos featuring racist imagery and when he was arrested at his home in Sussex, police found a collection of Nazi memorabilia including a flag bearing the symbol of the SS.

The clips posted online called for a “racial holy war”, described acts of violence and made references to far right groups including Combat 18 and POWER (Patriots of White European Resistance).

Stuart Laidlaw, reviewing lawyer for the CPS, said: “Freedom of speech carries with it responsibilities. Publishing something that is abusive and insulting and that is likely to stir up racial hatred is against the law and the CPS will work with the police to prosecute robustly anyone who does so.

“Gareth Hemingway decided to use the very public forum of YouTube to distribute videos of a racist and inflammatory nature which he had edited, and which were designed to provoke violence against ethnic minorities, particularly those living in Dewsbury.”

Hemingway is originally from the west Yorkshire town.

The videos were uploaded between January and June 2007.