Britain's First "Web-Rage" Attack

brown-eyed slug writes "The BBC is reporting what is claimed to be Britain's first "web-rage" attack. A man drove seventy miles to assault his victim with a pick-axe handle after they exchanged insults in a Yahoo! chat room." From the article: "Det Cons Christopher Creagh, of the Metropolitan Police, said: 'This is the first instance of a web-rage attack.' Det Sgt Jean-Marc Bazzoni, of Essex Police, added the case demonstrates the importance of protecting one's identity on the internet. 'Mr Jones had posted pictures of his family on the web and had chatted to Gibbons on an audio link,' he said. 'It demonstrates how easily other users can put two and two together and also shows how children could also find themselves in danger.'"

Comments

Sanity

[otacon]

This doesn't have as much to do with the internet as they'd want you to think, I mean the guy drove 70 miles with an axe, obviously he wasn't stable to begin with.

Re:Sanity

[chrisb33]

Exactly - "web-rage" sounds like a crime of passion caused by the internet, but this guy had plenty of time to think things through during his 70 mile drive.

Re:Sanity

[AviLazar]

Crimes of passion do not have to happen instantaneously. Also, they are not saying it is a crime of passion, they are saying this is the first case (they know of) where a person got pissed at someone they met from the net, and took physical action towards that person. Stop making it sound like they are claiming the net is a bad thing.

Re:Sanity

[ArcticCelt]

Det Sgt Jean-Marc Bazzoni, of Essex Police, added the case demonstrates the importance of protecting one's identity on the internet.

"It demonstrates how easily other users can put two and two together and also shows how children could also find themselves in danger."

No, it demonstrate the importance of acting civilized and how people should stop acting like savages just because they are not in front of the person they are communicating with.

Children

[Tsunayoshi]

also shows how children could also find themselves in danger.

Fucking great, he pulled the "think of the children" line...expect politicians to get involved and new laws passed to "protect the children".

Won't somebody please think of the children?!?

[proverbialcow]

"It demonstrates how easily other users can put two and two together and also shows how children could also find themselves in danger." ...which, in turn, demonstrates why children should not be allowed unfettered access to the Net. Of course, it's probably just easier to pass legislation than to watch what your kids are doing - that makes it somebody else's problem.

Re:Won't someone think of the children?

[Brainix]

You're right. Sadly, misguided politicians use unfortunate incidents like this to hammer through legislation. This has less to do with the internet than one might think. Assault has been illegal long before the birth of the internet.

And how is this different from the real world?

[S.O.B.]

...the case demonstrates the importance of protecting one's identity on the internet

I think the case demonstrates that the internet is no different than the real world. Trade insults with a guy you just met (online or not) and he may be a violent person that will come over to your house with his buddy and kick your ass. I'm glad he wasn't killed and I hope he'll completely recover but I don't have too much sympathy.

Too many people use the supposed anonymity of the internet as an excuse to be asshats. Always remember...the other guy could be a bigger asshat.

Re:That is why.....

[NekoXP]

Why is it creepy?

You could do exactly the same thing using paper resources if you had the time and patience. There were plenty of stalkers around before the internet reared it's head. I don't think there are really any more these days, simply a greater proportion of them doing it faster.

First Incident of Web-Rage or...

[dBLiSS]

First Incident of Web-Rage or the millionith (ish) incident of one Human going nuts and attacking another.

So, What's new?

Re:more info

[Migraineman]

To be honest it is the address of my parents.

Soooo, it was a good idea to offer up even more information in response?

Okay class, this concludes today's example of Social Engineering.

Psycho with a big heavy stick

[Scrameustache]

He's psychotic, what did you expect? [...] This is one reason why I plan to live in the South as long as I live in America. Most of the South is still relatively sane. Someone comes at you with any sort of axe, ice pick, knife, etc. you're going to be hard-pressed to find a jury that will convict you for blowing their head off.

If that story had taken place in the southern united states, the guy would have driven the 70 miles with his gun and blown the victim away when he opened the door.

When guns are illegal, only pickaxe handles are handy to psycho net ragers.

Re:I blame Britain's gun control

[brkello]

You do know that it goes both ways. He could have just as easily blown you away. In this case, both people are alive. That speaks more for gun control than against it.