Thursday, September 22, 2011

British Internet troll jailed for posting abuse about dead teenagers

We read:
"An internet troll who targeted the grieving families of dead teenagers has been jailed.

Sean Duffy, 25, targeted Facebook tribute pages and posted videos on YouTube taunting the dead and their families. One of his targets was Natasha MacBryde, 15, who threw herself under a train after suffering bullying.

Duffy, who is unemployed and did not know any of his victims, posted an anonymous video on YouTube called Tasha the Tank Engine, which her family said left them feeling "shocked, outraged and physically sick".

He pleaded guilty to two counts of sending malicious communications relating to Natasha. He asked for three other cases of Facebook trolling to be taken into consideration when he appeared before magistrates in Reading, southern England.

Jailing Duffy for 18 weeks, the maximum possible sentence, the chair of the bench, Paul Warren, said: "You have caused untold distress to already grieving friends and family. "The offences are so serious only a custodial sentence could be justified."

Duffy was banned from social-networking sites for five years. He will also have to inform police of any phone he has or buys that comes with internet access.

Source

He might have gotten away with it in America on free speech grounds but maybe not: It comes very close to libel.

8 comments:

A. Levy said...

Only 18 weeks? The sentence should have been a lot longer. But, it is Britain. I'm surprised he received any jail time.

And yes, here in the US, not only would he (not) go to jail, but the court would probably allow him to sue the families!

Anonymous said...

It's not a crime to be an asshole in the USA - we're full of them.

I would have preferred the family tracked this guy down and broke his kneecaps, rather than waste all this money on courts and jail.

-L

Anonymous said...

Harassment as well. Actionable tort. Or my favorite.. "fight'n words". I am not sure if that still stands a legal precident, but it used to be a defense for assault and battery. Ultimately the courts should be there to prevent retribution and seek justice to reasonably satisfy the desire for personal justice. Absent legal remedies, this punk might have found himself joining those he mocked in the afterlife.

Anonymous said...

Yeah...
You can't slander or defame the dead, IIRC.
And you don't have a right to go through life not hearing things that offend you.
In the US this guy would have walked.
As it should be.

However...
Suggesting he be killed or suffer serious bodily injury ( as posters 2:25 and 10:19 do) CAN be actionable if someone takes your words as license or encouragement to act in a violent manner against this young man.
In the US, under the right set of circumstances, the posters could be the ones found guilty.
Again, as it should be.

Bird of Paradise said...

Completly sadistic but need not arested them just put thema on some work detales

Anonymous said...

What this young man did was reprehensible - but it should be no more criminal than what the Westboro Baptists do (which is to say, not at all).
Let him spew his mindless hate and vitriol - it lessens Natasha not a whit.

Anonymous said...

Named and shamed, this guy is no longer anonymous and can offer no excuse for his reprehensible behavior.

That is the true punishment he will serve, the jail time isn't going to be of much consequence or it would work much better at reducing criminal behavior.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
"It's not a crime to be an asshole in the USA - we're full of them..."

That's one of the reasons for our coming demise.