UK Man Jailed For Being a Jerk On the Internet

Xest writes "A man in the UK has been jailed for 18 weeks for 'trolling,' and has also been given an order banning him from using social networking sites for five years. 25-year-old Sean Duffy mocked a dead teenager who had jumped in front a train by posting offensive remarks on a page dedicated to her memory, and creating a YouTube parody of Thomas the Tank with the deceased girl's face in place of Thomas. Is it about time trolling to this extent saw this kind of punishment, or is this punishment simply too harsh for someone who perhaps didn't realize how seriously his actions would be taken by the authorities?" Coverage from the Guardian explains that Duffy pleaded guilty to "two counts of sending malicious communications," and added that he must tell police about any phones he buys that can provide internet access.

Comments

Re:Propaganda or Bad reporting?

[justaguy516]

Free speech would be an issue if he had restricted himself to making his own web-page about the subject. But when he went and posted offensive comments on somebody else's tribute page, he crossed the line and became a nuisance.

Re:Propaganda or Bad reporting?

[Ginger Unicorn]

those assholes

Wow, a xenophobic generalisation. That's the exactly the kind of thing I'd expect from an American.