Freeman, 38, from Leicester, faces two charges of encouraging terrorism and supporting a proscribed organisation (Hamas).

The charges relate to his activity on social media platforms Twitter/X and Instagram in 2023 and 2024.

Prosecutors allege that he deliberately encouraged terrorism and openly supported Hamas, while his defence team says he does not support Hamas but supports “Palestinian resistance” instead.

His mobile phone, the court heard, was effectively “a weapon,” used to disseminate ideas that could inspire real-world violence. Prosecutors claimed he was “gambling with other people’s lives” by encouraging followers to act using whatever means they had available.

On the other hand, the defence argued that Freeman’s actions must be understood in the context of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which they described as a genocide.