A 22-YEAR-OLD man has been bailed pending the examination of items seized during an investigation into homophobic messages posted on social media.

Avon and Somerset police arrested a 22-year-old man in connection with an investigation into homophobic messages posted on social media after receiving a report of a fake Twitter account being set up which was later used to send homophobic messages.

The police reported an investigation had been launched on Saturday, April 18 and a man has now been bailed until next Saturday pending the examination of items seized during the investigation.

Det Insp Phil Jones said: “We take all reports of hate crime extremely seriously and following our initial enquiries a 22-year-old man has been arrested and is currently in custody for questioning.

“I would encourage any victims of hate crime to report incidents to us as soon as possible so they can be thoroughly investigated.”