Man jailed for being an internet troll

[Torplexed]

Someone has now been jailed for Internet trolling. This person apparently left mean spirited messages on a Facebook tribute to a deceased relative among other things.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-14894576

Natasha MacBryde threw herself under a train after being bullied

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.

Miss MacBryde had thrown herself under a train in February after being bullied.

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".

We prosecute people for vandalizing graves, so I have no objection to seeing this creep go to jail.

[Sailor Steve]

It's my understanding that you can recieve similar punishment for writing abusive letters to people, or for doing the same with print media. Also, while we protect free speech, if one were to stand out side someones home and shout this sort of thing, or do so at the school, there would be limitations.

I agree, this goes beyond the bounds of not only good taste, but of what is acceptable in any polite society.

[Betonov]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Also, while we protect free speech...

This was not free speech. This was not speech of any kind. It was simple psychological abuse, nothing to protect here, only punish

[Reece]

Excellent! That is where he belongs!

[Jimbuna]

18 weeks doesn't sound like that much of a deterrent

[Betonov]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

18 weeks doesn't sound like that much of a deterrent

18 weeks in a facility with internet acces

[Castout]

Governments employ trolls too, well at least the proud shameless Singapore regime and mine I'm sure. The third class governments of third world South East Asia states.

I never understand troll psychology. Inflict pain is pleasure? Sounds like psychopathy.

[papa_smurf]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

18 weeks doesn't sound like that much of a deterrent

What would be a appropriate punishment in your "expert" opinion?

[Skybird]

Offending someone is a punishable offence in most Western penal codes. Show a car driver the middle finger, call someone "Blöde Kuh" or worse, and if you get sued and the incident gets confirmed, you pay.

Offending someone this way is meant to hurt him. What the guy in the article did, did hurt people, and much more than in case of "ordinary everyday-offendings". So he pays a price for that whioch also is higher - not money, but loss of freedom for some weeks.

I have no problem with this sentencing.

[joegrundman]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

18 weeks doesn't sound like that much of a deterrent

it wasn't much of a crime. seems pretty appropriate to me.

and it's a much stiffer penalty than you get for wrecking the national economy leaving your bills to be covered by the taxpayer

[BossMark]

He is one hell of sad git to say things like that. I know what I would like to do to him if it had been my family.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Originally Posted by Betonov

18 weeks in a facility with internet acces

They may get t'interweb, and Sky TV, and lots of other facilities that I can't afford, but when I drop the soap - nothing happens!

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by papa_smurf

What would be a appropriate punishment in your "expert" opinion?

I'd have thought some form of community service helping out in establishments that try to help people deal with the trauma they suffer when being the receiver of such disgraceful behaviour.

Better to put something back into the system and understanding the potential consequences of said behaviour than simply becoming a further financial burdon on a prison system that is already hugely overstretched.

Just my 'expert' twopenneths worth.

Originally Posted by Herr-Berbunch

They may get t'interweb, and Sky TV, and lots of other facilities that I can't afford, but when I drop the soap - nothing happens!

Your not complaining are you?

[Herr-Berbunch]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

than simply becoming a further financial burdon on a prison system that is already hugely overstretched.

I'd like to see them repay in cash for their little stay, through higher taxes, but I don't thing a great many of them would earn enough to do so without some do-gooder pointing out that they need their £40-per-month Sky package, or their 40-cigs-per-day...

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Your not complaining are you?

Certainly not, it's an exit not an entrance!

[MothBalls]

If people are going to get jail time for trolling, we're going to have to build a lot more jails.

Guys like this aren't going to learn anything from jail except how to become a better criminal, or how to be become even more mean spirited. Just need to start dropping all of the criminals and people who think like this guy on some isolated island and let them torture each other forever.