Jailed for doing trolling

[chauncey]

A Berkshire man has been jailed for posting abusive messages online about a schoolgirl after she committed suicide.

 

Sean Duffy, 25, of Reading, was handed an 18-week sentence for posts on social networking sites about Worcestershire teenager Natasha MacBryde.

 

He previously pleaded guilty at Reading Magistrates' Court to sending indecent or offensive communications.

 

Police said Duffy also posted abuse about dead teenagers in Northumberland, Gloucestershire and Staffordshire.

 

Duffy, of Grovelands Road, admitted two offences of "trolling" a term used to describe the trend of anonymously seeking to provoke outrage by posting insults and abuse online.

 

They related to Facebook and YouTube posts about Miss MacBryde, 15, from Bromsgrove, who Duffy had never met.

 

He was traced by police through information from his internet service provider and arrested.

 

Duffy subsequently posted anonymous messages on a remembrance page - "Monday 14th February will always be remembered as Tasha MacBryde day" - set up by her 17-year-old brother James to allow friends and family to pay their respects to the teenager.

 

In one of the posts he called her a slut. He also posted a video on YouTube, entitled Tasha the Tank Engine, showing the children's character Thomas the Tank Engine with Miss MacBryde's face.

 

Jo Belsey, prosecuting, said the family were "understandably outraged, disgusted and hurt".

 

In a statement read to the court, her father Andrew MacBryde said he "could not believe anyone could stoop to such depths" after his son told him of the online posts.

 

He added that Duffy's actions had "added to the horror of dealing with the death of their beautiful daughter".

 

The magistrates were also asked to consider three other cases when sentencing Duffy, who the court heard suffers with alcohol problems and has Asperger's syndrome.

 

He had also posted offensive messages about Lauren Drew, 14, of Gloucestershire, who was found dead after suffering a suspected epileptic seizure, Hayley Bates, 16, of Staffordshire, who died in a car crash, and Jordan Cooper, 14, who was stabbed to death in Northumberland.

 

On Mother's Day he posted a message on an online memorial page to Lauren reading: "Help me mummy, it's hot in hell".

 

Duffy also produced an image of Hayley with crosses on her eyes and red marks on her face. He also wrote explicit messages to Hayley's sister Heather.

 

The family of stabbing victim Jordan had also seen abusive messages directed at the youngster on an online memorial and a YouTube video defacing an image of the teenager.

 

Outside court, Lauren's father Mark Drew said: "Lauren didn't deserve this.

 

"Seeing him in court was really hard. I was so angry.

 

"Lauren was my only daughter and I worshipped the ground she walked on.

 

"This person hid behind the computer screen with no feeling."

 

Mr Drew urged Facebook do do more to prevent the website being misused, adding that it was "a wonderful thing if used right".

 

Lance Whiteford, mitigating, said Duffy had been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome at an early age and one of the characteristics was an inability to judge the reaction of others.

 

He said Duffy had also struggled with alcohol problems and lived "a miserable existence".

 

Duffy had no previous convictions but had received one caution for a similar offence.

 

Paul Warren, chairman of the magistrates' bench, said: "This case serves to illustrate the harm and damage done by the malicious misuse of social networking sites."

 

Sherry Adhami, of the charity Beatbullying, said: "Today's ruling is a monumental move towards bullying and cyberbullying being taken more seriously and sends a strong message to society that bullying, whether online or offline, is not going to be tolerated.

 

"It's time that stopping bullying at the source is placed higher on the government's agenda."

 

BBC News - Reading man jailed for dead girl 'trolling' insults

 

Bit harsh on the lad.

[VladimirIlyich]

A bit harsh?

 

I think he was lucky he only got 18 months,the prick.

[Cardie]

Probably best to delete the GF just to be safe.

[VladimirIlyich]

Probably best to delete the GF just to be safe.

 

I fear for Mr Noos then!

[Section_31]

Slippery slope, it seems the net is now very firmly in the crosshairs.

[Redder Lurtz]

A bit harsh?

 

I think he was lucky he only got 18 months,the prick.

 

18 weeks

[VladimirIlyich]

As a parent if somebody mocked a dead child of mine publicly on a website I would want to rip his head off and shit in the hole.

 

I dont have any sympathy as I think its a shocking thing to do. I do understand the restriction of freedom but its libel,IMO.

[Jim MM]

I'd feel the same Vlad but if the lad has Aspergers jail is way over the top. A caution to put the shits up him and an apology would be more appropriate.

[kelster]

Some manc got the same 18 week sentence last year for this offense.

 

BBC News - Jade Goody website 'troll' from Manchester jailed

[VladimirIlyich]

I'd feel the same Vlad but if the lad has Aspergers jail is way over the top. A caution to put the shits up him and an apology would be more appropriate.

 

I didnt realise he had aspergers to be honest so I would reluctantly agree it was a bit harsh Jim.

[JohnnyH]

If people want to be idiots and troll doing petty little things then that's fine. I laugh at them and I thnk most others do. But what that lad did was terrible. He deserves what he got.

[Strontium]

I do understand the restriction of freedom but its libel,IMO.

 

 

How can you libel a dead person?

 

I don't think anyone should ever get a jailterm for anything they write on the Internet.

[Section_31]

I'd feel the same Vlad but if the lad has Aspergers jail is way over the top. A caution to put the shits up him and an apology would be more appropriate.

 

It's a message job, that's why the media have all been invited to fill their boots. 'Be careful what you say on Facebook'.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Vlad, you're looking from it from an empathetic, emotional perspective. The law shouldn't act that way. This is putting people in prison for something they said. That's an encroachment on all of our freedoms, as disgusting as the horrid bastard is. He's banned from social media networks for five years.

[VladimirIlyich]

How can you libel a dead person?

 

I don't think anyone should ever get a jailterm for anything they write on the Internet.

 

Well its defamation of character then or at least an offence against the bereaved parents.

There is bad taste if its done once but it seems he did it on a few occasions.

[She Knows It]

As a parent if somebody mocked a dead child of mine publicly on a website I would want to rip his head off and shit in the hole.

 

I dont have any sympathy as I think its a shocking thing to do. I do understand the restriction of freedom but its libel,IMO.

 

Me too. However, he does have Asperger's Syndrome which means it's not really shocking at all.

 

People with marked Asperger's have no theory of mind which means in simple terms that they can't put themselves in someone elses' shoes. They have no concept of feelings, neither their own, nor of others. I know it's difficult to comprehend, and I'm not saying for a second that he doesn't deserve punishment, but he does have a disability and I reckon it would be of greater benefit to give him some tuition in social skills than locking him up in a cell. He could be locked up for life, and still won't understand the sickening nature of what he's done.

[Anubis]

Danielle Smith's mum will be back on here, rattling her sabre.

[JohnnyH]

It depends on the level of Aspergers. My brother has quite severe aspergers and so has no understanding of love, hate, or the idea of trolling (or the internet to be fair) but you can have very mild aspergers which barely impacts your life. So without knowing how much this lad suffers it is hard to know.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Well its defamation of character then or at least an offence against the bereaved parents.

There is bad taste if its done once but it seems he did it on a few occasions.

 

There's no law against upsetting bereaved parents - as ghastly and inhuman as his actions are. It's looks like it was this strange piece of law he was in done under.

[VladimirIlyich]

There's no law against upsetting bereaved parents - as ghastly and inhuman as his actions are. It's looks like it was this strange piece of law he was in done under.

 

Interesting,thats a decent bit of law to use in cases like this.

 

Its an offence thats morally very wrong and there does deserve to be some sort of penalty attached.

[Guest ShoePiss]

If the lad didn't understand the impact of his actions due to aspergers why were all of the posting either mocking or simply horrible?

 

I'm unsure where this is all going, you can't bully the dead but this law looks like it may well help cyber bullying in general.

[Kevin D]

That is fucking outrageous.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Interesting,thats a decent bit of law to use in cases like this.

 

Its an offence thats morally very wrong and there does deserve to be some sort of penalty attached.

 

Maybe, but putting him in prison. In what way is that appropriate? The whole idea about a prison is to lock people away to stop them raping or murdering us. Not to put people who type hurtful shit on the internet, take a pair of shorts from somebody else, or for taking a few chemicals.

 

People don't seem to be able to look past the ridiculous construct of society. These are all bullshit rules, written by fucking posh cunts so that they can justify doing what they fucking well like. And the fucking worst part is that it rarely ever fucking applies to those who put it into action.

 

The world has gone fucking mental. Fuck this, I'm going to become an anarchist.

 

*NOTE: I think this Conservative government might be having a negative effect on my mental health.

[Stu Monty]

Kay Burley is bang in trouble if they're putting trolls in jail.

[kelster]

Maybe, but putting him in prison. In what way is that appropriate? The whole idea about a prison is to lock people away to stop them raping or murdering us. Not to put people who type hurtful shit on the internet, take a pair of shorts from somebody else, or for taking a few chemicals.

 

As well as a form of punishment and to act as a deterrent. Which in this case seems all fine and dandy.