April Jones Facebook troll

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**Electroo**

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/9594228/April-Jones-Facebook-troll-jailed-for-despicable-comments.html

April Jones: Facebook troll jailed for 'despicable' comments

A man who posted ''despicable'' comments on his Facebook page about missing April Jones has been jailed for 12 weeks.
Matthew Woods, 19, from Chorley, Lancashire, made a number of derogatory posts about April and missing Madeline McCann after getting the idea from Sickipedia - a website that ''trades in sick jokes''.
Among his comments was: ''I woke up this morning in the back of a transit van with two beautiful little girls, I found April in a hopeless place.''
Another read: ''Who in their right mind would abduct a ginger kid?''
Others stated ''I love April Jones'' and ''Could have just started the greatest Facebook argument ever. April Fools, Who Wants Maddie?''

He also wrote comments of a sexually explicit nature about the five-year-old who went missing last week from near her home in Machynlleth, mid Wales.
Unemployed Woods was arrested for his own safety on Saturday night and was remanded in custody ahead of his appearance at Chorley Magistrates' Court today where he pleaded guilty to sending by means of a public electronic communications network a message or other matter that is grossly offensive.
Chairman of the bench, Bill Hudson, said Woods's comments were so serious and ''abhorrent'' that it deserved the longest sentence they could pass, less a third to give credit for his early guilty plea.
Earlier in the day the same bench fined a man £100 for shouting racial abuse to a woman who had pulled up in her car beside him at a junction.
He was also ordered to pay his victim compensation of £100 for saying to her: ''You f****** black c***.''
Mr Hudson said: "We have listened to the evidence in what can only be described as a disgusting and despicable crime and the bench finds was completely abhorrent.
"The words and references used to the current case in Wales and that of the missing girl in Portugal are nothing less than shocking, so much so that no right thinking person in society should have communicated to them such fear and distress."
He added that families involved in cases such as these should not have to be subjected to any use of social media like this and should not be used to mistreat people in this way.
He said only a custodial term in a young offender institute was appropriate, which was greeted by applause from around 30 people sitting in the public gallery.
Mr Hudson concluded: "The reason for the sentence is the seriousness of the offence, the public outrage that has been caused and we felt there was no other sentence this court could have passed which conveys to you the abhorrence that many in society feel this crime should receive."
Woods smirked as members of the public clapped before he was led from the dock.

I'm sorry, but what the feth is going on with the UK courts?

Someone shouts racist abuse at a stranger in public. £100 fine.
Someone posts some very tasteless comments, on there facebook page. 12 weeks in prison, and a criminal record that is going to make it even more difficult for him to ever get a job.

FFS. Yes the comments were inappropriate and offensive, but how dose being offensive justify the life destroying effects of 12 weeks in prison?

**Palindrome**

It is massively disproportionate. It is something that is apparently being looked at though.

**Kovnik Obama**

Yes, please, where is society going if we cannot have our right to make obscene comments about a kidnapped child on a popular social media respected?

**rubiksnoob**

With laws like these, how on earth has Matty evaded the authorities this long?

But seriously, you guys across the pond must have some pretty thin skin if you need laws against calling people names. Must be the lack of sun.

**SilverMK2**

It is pretty fethed up.

**Mr. Burning**

Can't help thinking that whoever wrote up the sentencing guidelines had half an eye on preventing mob justice and possibly even more serious crimes.

The guy will get to prison, sign onto the rule for his own protection, and spend time amongst paedos, rapists and debt heads.

**Palindrome**

Kovnik Obama wrote:
Yes, please, where is society going if we cannot have our right to make obscene comments about a kidnapped child on a popular social media respected?

If he had made the exact same comments in a pub for example he would have had no legal issues at all.

**Kovnik Obama**

That's right, but a few people might have beat the living gak out of him for it too.

Also, however people behave in pubs, is not the standard of conduct you should aim to emulate.

**kronk**

Not that I give a crap about this spanker, but 12 weeks seems cruel and unusual.

**Palindrome**

Kovnik Obama wrote:

Also, however people behave in pubs, is not the standard of conduct you should aim to emulate.

No but the standards should be the same. Do you want people arrested for what they say in a social setting?

**Kovnik Obama**

Palindrome wrote:
Kovnik Obama wrote:

Also, however people behave in pubs, is not the standard of conduct you should aim to emulate.

No but the standards should be the same. Do you want people arrested for what they say in a social setting?

If what they say is so horribly offensive, and might actually impede an ongoing investigation, yes, I have no problems with that. 12 weeks is a lot, but there's such a thing as exemplary punishment.

**mattyrm**

rubiksnoob wrote:
With laws like these, how on earth has Matty evaded the authorities this long?

But seriously, you guys across the pond must have some pretty thin skin if you need laws against calling people names. Must be the lack of sun.

Its true man, the gak I type on my facebook page about Islam.. I'm stunned I'm still a free man!

This gak has been on the up for about the last 2 years. I think the straw that broke the camels back was the kids getting jailed for organising a riot via facebook. Its a tough subkect to be sure, but in my mind there can be no law against being a horrible bastard. I fully agreed with Islam4UKs right to march through Wooton Bassett, I want to be able to say what's on my mind about what I believe is a dark age cult that worships a man who history shows was into rape, slavery, paedophilia, the whole shebang. It would be hypocritical of me not to allow them to air their views.

YMMV of course, and I can see both sides of the argument so I don't get turbo rage about it. I mean, I found it funny when those little chavs got jailed for oganising a riot via facebook, and obviously not everyone has as thick skin as me, and some people would react far more badly to this kind of thing than I would.

I mean, I presume this kind of stuff would really affect the mother of the girl in question for example. So, I don't feel hugely about it one way or the other, and at least when it goes to court its on a case by case basis.. but I think If I HAD to pick one way or the other, then no, I don't agree with jailing people for trolling.

**Electroo**

The problem is thought that he wasn't trolling. He was pasting on his own facebook page. If he had started a public group, or had hunted down one of her relatives and sent offensive messages I might be able to understand, but the guy wrote stuff on his own facebook page. Effectivly, to me, as public as a pub if not locked down.

At least the kids trying to organise a riot had an intention to harm someone.

What I was most shocked about was the guy who did harm someone, shouting racist abuse at them, although mild as racist abuse gose, got a small fine. Little more than a speeding ticket and this kid got prison.

**mattyrm**

Electroo wrote:
The problem is thought that he wasn't trolling. He was pasting on his own facebook page. If he had started a public group, or had hunted down one of her relatives and sent offensive messages I might be able to understand, but the guy wrote stuff on his own facebook page. Effectivly, to me, as public as a pub if not locked down.

At least the kids trying to organise a riot had an intention to harm someone.

What I was most shocked about was the guy who did harm someone, shouting racist abuse at them, although mild as racist abuse gose, got a small fine. Little more than a speeding ticket.

Are you sure he just posted on his own page?

That doesn't sound right, because only your actual friends can see the stuff right? I mean, I write some pretty offensive gak on mine.

If that is the case, then yes its flat out ridiculous. Totally over the top.

**Electroo**

Thats what the artical says. Its possible that the artical is wrong, but if he was posting it elsewhere then I woult have thought they would have said it.

A man who posted ''despicable'' comments on his Facebook page about missing April

If your settings are for public viewing in theory anyone can see it, especaly if you have hundreds of friends, but still people have to chose to go to your page or chose to be friends, not just looking at a page about puppys and kittens and find offensive posts.

**Samus_aran115**

So he was jailed for trolling? Haha.

**Lordhat**

"Laws" like these make me ashamed that Britain's our ally.

**Kovnik Obama**

Lordhat wrote:
"Laws" like these make me ashamed that Britain's our ally.

Says the dude who still got capital punishment...

**Vitruvian XVII**

Oh ffs, they're jokes. He probably stole them off sickipedia anyway. I hate people that get pissy about dark humour.

**Chongara**

Kovnik Obama wrote:
Lordhat wrote:
"Laws" like these make me ashamed that Britain's our ally.

Says the dude who still got capital punishment...

Yeah! Yeah! They should given this guy the CHAIR!!!

**kronk**

No one uses the chair anymore. Just Lethal Injections.

**Chongara**

kronk wrote:
No one uses the chair anymore. Just Lethal Injections.

*sigh* just a result of more soft-on-crime wishy-washing

. What is this country coming to?

**Jihadin**

I wasted good money on "switch time"......damn that infomercial.....

**Albatross**

rubiksnoob wrote:
With laws like these, how on earth has Matty evaded the authorities this long?

But seriously, you guys across the pond must have some pretty thin skin if you need laws against calling people names. Must be the lack of sun.

Oh, what fething nonsense. It isn't about having a law against 'calling people names', it's about an individual judge not doing his fething job properly. You guys aren't exempt from that too, y'know. Or do I have to pull up some truly grotesque miscarriages of just from YOUR nation's recent legal history? I mean, you come from a country that, instead of not torturing people, simply changed the legal definition of what torture is so they could continue doing it to people who had been detained without trial, and that came right from the top.

This story is merely one about an overzealous judge who abused existing laws designed to protect people from harassment.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Lordhat wrote:
"Laws" like these make me ashamed that Britain's our ally.

And statements like that should make your fellow Americans ashamed that you're one of them, given the number of Brits that have fought and died alongside your countrymen, you absolute rotter.

EDIT: Better, Kilkrazy?

**Jackal**

I dont usually side with alby, but in this case im 100% with him.
Just think of it as a bit of "friendly fire"

**Albatross**

Jackal wrote:
I dont usually side with alby...

I don't even know who you are.

**Jackal**

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/user/profile/8021.page

^there.
Got locked out of my old account somehow so lego let me start this one instead lol.

**Kaldor**

Palindrome wrote:
Kovnik Obama wrote:
Yes, please, where is society going if we cannot have our right to make obscene comments about a kidnapped child on a popular social media respected?

If he had made the exact same comments in a pub for example he would have had no legal issues at all.

Using insulting words or offensive language is usually an offense IRL. I have no objection to this man being charged and jailed, although the sentence is extreme and should be appealed, IMO.

**Albatross**

No, he absolutely should be legally allowed to say what he said, just not to the dead kid's family. As I'm pretty sure he didn't do that, this just seems like one judge bowing to the public mood, and going completely over the top in stretching the law to ensure that this little scrote gets fethed for saying some unpleasant gak.

Incidentally, I find the whole media and public reaction to this girl's disappearance to be more than a little hysterical and disproportionate. We seem to be taking any and every opportunity to indulge in mawkish outpourings of fake sentiment these days. It's like the whole country has been on a period since Diana died.

Saying that, she was the Princess of Hearts and I won't have a bad word said about her.

**Seaward**

Albatross wrote:
And statements like that should make your fellow Americans ashamed that you're one of them, given the number of Brits that have fought and died alongside your countrymen, you absolute rotter.

EDIT: Better, Kilkrazy?

If you found his statement offensive, could you not have him arrested next time he sets foot in Britain?

I for one am happy to have Britain as an ally, though I do wish you guys would get on board with the free speech thing.