Spanish police officer sentenced after posting fake rape video on Twitter

Guardia Civil first to be convicted after alleging video showed a Moroccan migrant raping a woman

A police officer who deliberately posted a misleading video clip of a sexual assault to try to stir up hatred against migrant children has become the first person in Spain to be handed a jail sentence for using social media to publish and spread fake news.

A court in Barcelona on Tuesday convicted the Guardia Civil officer of an offence against fundamental rights and public freedoms and sentenced him to 15 months in prison and a fine of 1,620 (1,410).