A British university student has been jailed for 56 days for inciting racial hatred after posting offensive comments on Twitter about the collapse of Bolton Wanderers footballer Fabrice Muamba.

Magistrates in south Wales sent 21-year-old biology undergraduate Liam Stacey to prison after he admitted the charge at a previous hearing last week.

Stacey broke down in tears as he was taken away in handcuffs.

In sentencing the student, district judge John Charles said there was "no alternative" to an immediate prison sentence, as when Muamba collapsed "it was not the football world who was praying for him ... everybody was praying for his life".



Stacey's remarks on Twitter as the footballer battled for his life were "vile and abhorrent", the judge added.

The student was reported to police and arrested after posting a number of tweets mocking the player, who collapsed with a cardiac arrest during Bolton's FA Cup quarter-final tie with Tottenham Hotspur on March 17.

Stacey was taken to task by other users after he used offensive language to say that the player had died, prompting him to respond with a tirade of personal abuse.

Student jailed over 'vile' Muamba tweets - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)