RAOTL Forum

[stringvest]

The gift that never stops giving

[stringvest]

One of the things which annoyed me about that otherwise excellent site...mind you it has been several years, i guess

Glad it's up again

I thought the cool kids all fucked off to create their own site

 

[mattyq]

I thought the cool kids all fucked off to create their own site

Did they? The Est 1892 one?

[ratcatcher]

Just for info

 

Lawyer's web comments apology to Owen and Karl Oyston

Owen Oyston and son Karl are suing other fans

Continue reading the main story Related Stories

• Oystons sue more Blackpool fans
• Blackpool fan denies defaming owners
• Blackpool fan sorry for web comments

A director of a personal injuries law firm has apologised to Blackpool FC's owner Owen Oyston and chairman Karl Oyston for comments he made on the internet.

Tim Fielding, who specialises in civil litigation and employment law, had been sued for defamation by the Oystons.

 

Mr Fielding resigned as chair of the Blackpool Supporters Trust last month.

He posted his apology on Facebook, saying he withdrew his allegations "unreservedly".

Mr Fielding, a director of Blackpool-based BBE Law, wrote: "In recent months I have made several postings on fans' websites and social media (in my own name and under the pseudonym 'TwelveAngryMen') in which I have referred to Karl Oyston and Owen Oyston as having 'asset stripped' Blackpool Football Club; as having 'misappropriated football generated funds'; and as having made large personal profits by buying assets from BFC at one price and then selling the same assets back to BFC at a substantially increased price.

"I now regret making the allegations and unreservedly withdraw these allegations."

 

 

Mr Fielding said: "I recognise that my actions have, in view of my position as Chairman of the BST [blackpool Supporters Trust] helped to generate hostility towards the Oyston family.

"With hindsight, I am clear that I should not have made those postings and I very much regret having done so."

 

Earlier this week, the Oystons confirmed they were seeking £150,000 damages from the website Back Henry Street over six allegedly defamatory comments in 2014.

Last week, dozens of Blackpool fans attended a court hearing in Manchester for a separate legal action brought by the Oystons against a fan.

 

David Ragozzino, 32, was given 21 days to respond to a claim for damages from the club.

On 30 January another fan, Stephen Sharpe, apologised to the Oystons over his online comments, withdrawing his posts after accepting they were "false, defamatory and, in some cases, threatening".

[Trumo]

That yacht is going to turn around and chase after Nightcat now.

[Major Tom]

That's particularly shit what the Oystons are doing there.

 

I do think people take shit too far on the internet while gladly hiding behind its anonymity, but taking them to court over it is not really the way to go about it.

[cloggypop]

Owen Oyston can't sue when you call him a convicted rapist though as he is one.

[Gym Beglin]

I hate Oyston for trying to ruin free speech, the dirty bastard. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. He'll be taking fans to court for singing songs about him next, the badly-animated twat.

[stringvest]

To the uninitiated, and in that case this includes me, it would seem that Oyston and his family are a shower of horrible cunts.  I could be wrong, but I trust my instincts.  I'm a very good cunt spotter.

[Dr Nowt]

Karl Oysten always just came across as a Poundstretcher Daniel Levy, in his frequent attempts to play the clever, hard-nosed club chairman dictating terms.

[Dr. J]

Just for info

 

Lawyer's web comments apology to Owen and Karl Oyston

Owen Oyston and son Karl are suing other fans

Continue reading the main story Related Stories

• Oystons sue more Blackpool fans
• Blackpool fan denies defaming owners
• Blackpool fan sorry for web comments

A director of a personal injuries law firm has apologised to Blackpool FC's owner Owen Oyston and chairman Karl Oyston for comments he made on the internet.

Tim Fielding, who specialises in civil litigation and employment law, had been sued for defamation by the Oystons.

 

Mr Fielding resigned as chair of the Blackpool Supporters Trust last month.

He posted his apology on Facebook, saying he withdrew his allegations "unreservedly".

Mr Fielding, a director of Blackpool-based BBE Law, wrote: "In recent months I have made several postings on fans' websites and social media (in my own name and under the pseudonym 'TwelveAngryMen') in which I have referred to Karl Oyston and Owen Oyston as having 'asset stripped' Blackpool Football Club; as having 'misappropriated football generated funds'; and as having made large personal profits by buying assets from BFC at one price and then selling the same assets back to BFC at a substantially increased price.

"I now regret making the allegations and unreservedly withdraw these allegations."

 

 

Mr Fielding said: "I recognise that my actions have, in view of my position as Chairman of the BST [blackpool Supporters Trust] helped to generate hostility towards the Oyston family.

"With hindsight, I am clear that I should not have made those postings and I very much regret having done so."

 

Earlier this week, the Oystons confirmed they were seeking £150,000 damages from the website Back Henry Street over six allegedly defamatory comments in 2014.

Last week, dozens of Blackpool fans attended a court hearing in Manchester for a separate legal action brought by the Oystons against a fan.

 

David Ragozzino, 32, was given 21 days to respond to a claim for damages from the club.

On 30 January another fan, Stephen Sharpe, apologised to the Oystons over his online comments, withdrawing his posts after accepting they were "false, defamatory and, in some cases, threatening".

 

Punchable Face finalist.

[Anubis]

In 1996 Owen Oyston was found guilty of RAPE AND INDECENT ASSAULT at Liverpool Crown Court and sentenced to 6 years imprisonment. His subsequent appeal was dismissed.

 

Fit and proper person test working well then.

[RoboRiise]

You'd never believe he was a nonce from that picture would you?  Paragon of fucking virtue he looks there, not at all like a cross between John McCrirrick, Robin Hood and Fred West.

[scudger99]

Like Doctor Who on viagra and acid.

[Dr Nowt]

I was going to go with Jimmy Savile dressed as Judge Doom.

[cloggypop]

All I know is that it looks nothing at all like famous nonce Gary Glitter

 

[scudger99]

It's actually a good warning system to trolling cunts.  Slagging people is one thing, typing defamatory stuff about them that isn't true can come back to bite your arse.  Didn't some woman top herself recently after being exposed for trolling Madeline McCann's parents ?  She must have been a desperate mental case to be doing that in the first place.  It was great fun while she was anonymous, she couldn't take it back when her cover was blown.

What goes around comes around.

[kalasoma]

All I know is that it looks nothing at all like famous nonce Gary Glitter

 

 

I don't wanna be in his gang.

[Babb'sBurstNad]

 

Weekend at Bernies 3: The rapey years

[RoboRiise]

It's actually a good warning system to trolling cunts.  Slagging people is one thing, typing defamatory stuff about them that isn't true can come back to bite your arse.  Didn't some woman top herself recently after being exposed for trolling Madeline McCann's parents ?  She must have been a desperate mental case to be doing that in the first place.  It was great fun while she was anonymous, she couldn't take it back when her cover was blown.

What goes around comes around.

 

Oh yes the woman who was trolling Maddie's parents on twitter, only the McCanns aren't even on fucking twitter.  I know what you're saying but that's a very, very poor example.

 

She basically said she blamed the McCanns for what happened to their daughter - hardly think that's a controversial opinion to be honest because I think it was primarily their fault as well, but regardless it's no reason to send fucking Sly News reporters round to her house.  If a comment is actually libelous then I have no problem with action being taken, but I'm profoundly uncomfortable with the fact that people are increasingly being pillioried and even prosecuted because they wrote something deemed to be nasty on facebook or wherever, it's fucking pathetic.

 

Come to that, I'm also sick of seeing the term 'trolling' being misused by the media and society in general.  Trolling isn't writing unpleasant things about people - that's flaming.  Trolling is the act of assuming a contrary or more often a deliberately disingenuous position in a discussion or debate (usually one that the troll does not actually support) in order to elicit a reaction from others.  Shit ain't the same thing.

[scudger99]

I agree it's a poor example, but when you consider the sensitivity of the subject matter it's a bit of a cuntish thing to do.  But then I suppose being a cunt comes naturally to some, as regularly seen on here, and the presumed anonymity by many makes them believe they have full licence to spew their bile with no comebacks.  There's a fine line between hurling insults in the heat of the moment and going right over the top, and everyone has a different idea of where that line of morality is.  People who don't have kids might not be that bothered by what was Tweeted about the McCanns.  Those who have kids will probably feel a lot stronger about it.  Those who have lost kids themselves in one way or another could be forgiven for wanting to take matters into their own hands if the comments made are hurtful enough.

There's also the murky issue of employers searching social media for defamatory comments about them by employees, and then firing them for it.  I work for a company who have done it, and have warned they will do it again if it's warranted.  And yet they are absolutely fucking shite to work for, they just don't want their "professional image tarnished".

I suppose the bottom line is that if you're going to enter a shit hurling contest, you need to be prepared for shit coming back your way, and if you can't take it then don't fucking give it.

[RoboRiise]

I agree it's a poor example, but when you consider the sensitivity of the subject matter it's a bit of a cuntish thing to do.  But then I suppose being a cunt comes naturally to some, as regularly seen on here, and the presumed anonymity by many makes them believe they have full licence to spew their bile with no comebacks.  There's a fine line between hurling insults in the heat of the moment and going right over the top, and everyone has a different idea of where that line of morality is.  People who don't have kids might not be that bothered by what was Tweeted about the McCanns.  Those who have kids will probably feel a lot stronger about it.  Those who have lost kids themselves in one way or another could be forgiven for wanting to take matters into their own hands if the comments made are hurtful enough.

There's also the murky issue of employers searching social media for defamatory comments about them by employees, and then firing them for it.  I work for a company who have done it, and have warned they will do it again if it's warranted.  And yet they are absolutely fucking shite to work for, they just don't want their "professional image tarnished".

I suppose the bottom line is that if you're going to enter a shit hurling contest, you need to be prepared for shit coming back your way, and if you can't take it then don't fucking give it.

 

Absolutely agree that it was a cuntish thing to do (or more accurately that doing it as often as she did was cuntish, she did make lots and lots of comments over a period of time) but as you say people do and say cuntish things every day.  If I made several cuntish posts on here, I would expect the rest of the users to be up in my shit - that's the giving shit out and expecting it back aspect to which you refer.  I wouldn't expect some twat from Sky News to be doorstepping me and the national press to be hounding me, which is what happened to the woman who made the McCann posts and subsequently committed suicide.  Disproportionate doesn't even cover it.

 

I really don't want to get into the whole McCann situation itself because I'm acutely aware that it's a sensitive topic but one thing I have to say is that whilst I'm not a parent I do have have the obvious simple human sympathy for them that you would expect for any family who lose a child, regardless of the circumstances - there's absolutely no glee to be found in what happened there.  However in my experience, it's the people I know with kids who tend to be more vociferous in blaming her parents, precisely because they would never have done the same thing themselves.  Having sympathy for their loss whilst feeling that they were the chief architects of the situation that allowed it aren't in any way exclusive positions.

 

As far as the work situation is concerned, my employer has also dismissed people for comments made on social media and to be honest I don't have an issue with that at all.  Work is a relatively simple situation in that you agree to do certain things (and not to do certain things) in exchange for money; we all prostitute ourselves in some way when we go to work, only the degree varies.

 

Most employers these days, mine included have a clear policy on what you can and can't do on social media and that will usually include not undertaking any actions that would bring the employer into disrepute.  If you work for a firm who have a pretty standard equal opportunities policy, you're aware of it and then you identify yourself as an employee of that organisation on social media before announcing that all gays should be hung or something, as far as I'm concerned you deserve everything you get - it's not about the opinion itself, however distasteful, it's about the fact that you agreed to a set of rules.  The same applies if you post that your company is complete shit and run by morons, no employer would stand for an employee walking through the town centre shouting that and that's basically what you're doing if you post those comments on social media.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

Is it safe and legal to call the Oystons cunts?

 

Also - would you trust a lawyer who knows so little about the law that he can't tell when he crosses the line between expressing opinion and committing libel?

[AngryOfTuebrook]

Come to that, I'm also sick of seeing the term 'trolling' being misused by the media and society in general.  Trolling isn't writing unpleasant things about people - that's flaming.  Trolling is the act of assuming a contrary or more often a deliberately disingenuous position in a discussion or debate (usually one that the troll does not actually support) in order to elicit a reaction from others.  Shit ain't the same thing.

Really?

 

Honestly, in my day "flaming" was a perfectly good word for "flamboyantly homosexual".  Another part of our fine language ruined by the PC* brigade.

 

 

 

 

(* and laptop and ipad, etc)

[RoboRiise]

Really?

 

Honestly, in my day "flaming" was a perfectly good word for "flamboyantly homosexual".  Another part of our fine language ruined by the PC* brigade.

 

 

 

 

(* and laptop and ipad, etc)

 

Hah, yeah I'm also aware of 'flaming' in that context.  Interestingly enough, trolling is a term which was appropriated from the gay lexicon, where it's broadly analagous to 'cruising'.    

 

Flaming has been the term for abusing someone online since the days of usenet back when the world wide web was just a twinkle in Tim Berners-Lee's eye.  Granted there's a crossover between flaming and trolling to a degree since if you flame someone when you don't really disagree with them, you're trolling them as well, but the defining characteristic of trolling is usually that the action is being performed purely to get a reaction rather than because of an actual, strongly-held opinion.