Red Dwarf icon and Death in Paradise star Danny John Jules has ignited fury from fans with a controversial social media post.

The actor, who plays The Cat in the classic BBC sitcom and Officer Dwayne Myers in Death in Paradise, left fans divided with his post.

Taking to X – formerly Twitter – on Friday (January 24), the former Strictly Come Dancing star posted a newspaper picture of the three young Southport stabbing victims, alongside a picture of children’s bodies being carried covered in sheets during the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

He wrote: “As everyone has an expert opinion on ‘child murder’ today which of these two images of these 3 dead children angers you the most…?”

Taking to the replies section, one fumed: “We don’t need to compare atrocities. Danny I am a huge fan, make the point without using kids’ deaths. Any child’s death is one too many.”

Someone else said: “They’re both horrific.” As a third fan asked: “I beg your pardon??”

Somebody else posted: “Any child death is bad Danny, don’t dare to try and defend this vermin who murdered those kids so brutally. One death of a child is too many wherever they are from.” Another user chimed in: “Love you Danny but this is not it… both are awful, but so is this post.”

Yesterday (January 23), Southport attacker Axel Rudakubana was sentenced to 52 years behind bars for the murders of Bebe King, six, Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.

The 18-year-old targeted young girls and their dance teacher at a Taylor Swift themed workshop last summer.

Judge Mr Justice Julian Goose said: “It is likely he will never be released and he will be in custody for all of his life,” adding that only if a Parole Board believes he is no longer a threat to the public will the triple killer ever be released.