12 weeks in Jail for offensive web posts about poor April Jones

super_furry · 09-10-2012 02:42PM

So should Frankie Boyle be sent to jail for three months for his jokes about Madeline McCann? Only a few days ago he joked about her and Jimmy Saville. Or is it OK because the media spotlight has moved away from her and there's no baying mob outside his door? Why is one man sent to jail for joking about a missing child and another is not?

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/Outrage-Frankie-Boyle-s-offensive-Madeleine/story-17018894-detail/story.html

Lingua Franca · 09-10-2012 02:44PM

Sickipedia has been down since at least yesterday, i reckon they're crapping themselves.

I posted facebook jokes about Michael Jackson, Whitney Huston and Neil Armstrong when they died. I had only one person go off at me for only one of those gags. It was about Whitney Huston and the person who let rip at me is a recovering addict I know from a forum saying "I usually like all your other sick jokes and your sense of humour but this one was beyond the pale, how dare you mock someone who had an addiction? I am very hurt and offended and think you should take this down instantly." There was also some crap about how she was disappointed in me.

The devastatingly offensive joke in question?

"We'll never forget you, Britney Whouston"

alphabeat · 09-10-2012 02:46PM

ibarelycare wrote: »

So stupidity is a crime now?

yes, in this case
anyone stupid enough to use Facebook should get jail time.

blatantrereg · 09-10-2012 02:49PM

Dropping him from my friends list would have been my punishment.

davet82 · 09-10-2012 02:50PM

i was told the joke this idiot used was a joke about maddie mccann he copied from sickepedia and ammended it to april jones and posted on his FB so people would think his account was hacked for attention?

Shanotheslayer · 09-10-2012 02:53PM

Why is everyone on Sickipedia not jailed for jokes so?

davet82 · 09-10-2012 02:55PM

Shanotheslayer wrote: »

Why is everyone on Sickipedia not jailed for jokes so?

what if i copied and pasted the joke to an email or a text message do i go to jail?

the list of 'what ifs' is endless when you look at it

Blisterman · 09-10-2012 02:55PM

jackal wrote: »

This is not a celebrity you are talking about, its a 5 year old girl who is missing, presumed dead and obviously a strong suspicion of sexual crimes having occurred would be a painful and distressing factor for the family in any case where a child is kidnapped.

He trolled, not joked, in an appalling fashion, making sexual comments about this girl who did nothing to become a "well known person" other than find herself kidnapped.

The law is there to be applied when required. It will not be applied for any and all cases of disgusting comments, but attention seeking trolling like this is finally receiving the attention it deserves. The kind where people cannot say what they like with no legal consequences. The internet has become a huge media source, with "quotes from twitter" embellishing news stories left right and centre now.

You're missing my point. I wasn't saying it's fair game to make fun of her, because she's famous. I was pointing out the hypocrisy of the police for only perusing people who make jokes about well known figures.

If he'd made the same jokes about any of the thousands of abducted children in Uganda, each of which is equally as tragic a case for the people involved, nobody would bat an eyelid.

ibarelycare · 09-10-2012 02:56PM

alphabeat wrote: »

yes, in this case
anyone stupid enough to use Facebook should get jail time.

Good point, well made :rolleyes:

daRobot · 09-10-2012 02:56PM

The Brits have really got out of hand with this jailing people for distasteful comments lark.

Lingua Franca · 09-10-2012 02:57PM

Shanotheslayer wrote: »

Why is everyone on Sickipedia not jailed for jokes so?

I'd say it's because now that media attention has turned to sickipedia, they've closed down to "upgrade".

efb · 09-10-2012 02:58PM

I often think that some here see trolling as an art form - something to be admired.

I certainly dont

davet82 · 09-10-2012 03:02PM

efb wrote: »

I often think that some here see trolling as an art form - something to be admired.

I certainly dont

i dont either, i'd kick that kid in the nuts if i seen him but in a week where we seen a man walk free for sexually assaulting his neices in Irealnd we look across the water and see a stupid teenager being jailed for hurting somebodys feelings, makes ye wonder, its not a fitting punishment, take his computer off him maybe?

Nulty · 09-10-2012 03:03PM

lukesmom wrote: »

^ this

Agree with above.
If it was an offensive stupid joke fine but the fact that he was thick enough to put
5 year old girl & sexually explicit content together deserves the book thrown at him and I don't care how drunk he was. Been around drunk lads telling jokes, a lot of sexually explicit nature but NEVER about kids and sex.
Never ever.

What are you taking about? Are we allowed think of these jokes? Are we allowed write them down and hide them, are we allowed tell the joke to someone we think will find them funny? Are we allowed tell someone the joke so as to gauge the opinion of someone who hasn't heard it? Would it make a difference if his page was private?

What else do you want to stop people from saying? What's suitable offensive to you other than this? Is denying the holocaust as bad or worse in your estimation? Are we allowed tell holocaust jokes? What if a holocaust survivor tells a holocaust joke or a victim of sexual abuse tells a joke about sexual abuse?

I have tonnes more questions I could ask.

General General · 09-10-2012 03:03PM

efb wrote: »

I often think that some here see trolling as an art form - something to be admired.

I certainly dont

Thinly veiled trolling..

Undercover Elephant · 09-10-2012 03:04PM

steve9859 wrote: »

Likewise, you make a comment about someone in the news, and you are clearly inciting people (and if you don't realise that you are just stupid), as yer man found yesterday when a mob descended on his gaff.

I don't think "incitement" means what you think it means.

El Weirdo · 09-10-2012 03:05PM

efb wrote: »

I often think that some here see trolling as an art form - something to be admired.

It could be argued that proper trolling is.

This isn't proper trolling, it's just called that by the media who have a great, new internet-themed buzzword they can attach to any story about "offensive" posts on Twitter or Facebook.

jackal · 09-10-2012 03:06PM

Blisterman wrote: »

You're missing my point. I wasn't saying it's fair game to make fun of her, because she's famous. I was pointing out the hypocrisy of the police for only perusing people who make jokes about well known figures.

If he'd made the same jokes about any of the thousands of abducted children in Uganda, each of which is equally as tragic a case for the people involved, nobody would bat an eyelid.

What you don't seem to get is that it is the very fact that the case is well known that encouraged said idiot to do his attention seeking troll routine.

If nobody bats an eyelid about children from uganda, then thats not going to attract the attention he craves and he is not really succeeding. So these trolls are always going to go for the high profile things and try to gain attention.

I think the police have better things to be doing than checking peoples facebook for potential trolling. If enough people brought it to their attention, then things would be different.

Thrill · 09-10-2012 03:10PM

efb wrote: »

I often think that some here see trolling as an art form - something to be admired.

I certainly dont

Are you aware that someone under the age of consent could read the comment next to your location?

Disgraceful. You should be locked up.

.

steve9859 · 09-10-2012 03:10PM

Undercover Elephant wrote: »

I don't think "incitement" means what you think it means.

It means intending to provoke a reaction. As far as I can tell, he wasn't being funny, so can only assume he was trying to get some 'bites'. And if he didn't realise he was doing that, then he's an idiot. I've no sympathy for the guy....certainly not losing sleep about him, and his idiot ilk who troll away on social media, being jailed.

super_furry · 09-10-2012 03:12PM

steve9859 wrote: »

It means intending to provoke a reaction. As far as I can tell, he wasn't being funny, so can only assume he was trying to get some 'bites'. And if he didn't realise he was doing that, then he's an idiot. I've no sympathy for the guy....certainly not losing sleep about him, and his idiot ilk who troll away on social media, being jailed.

So do you think Frankie Boyle should be sent to jail for his jokes about Madeline McCann?

humanji · 09-10-2012 03:19PM

Does anyone have a link to what he actually said (the full list of comments)? I can't find it on the Guardian link (it's probably obvious, but I'm on the 3 o'clock slump).

I'm getting a bit of deja vu with this story and the one about the guy who was arrested for making jokes on twitter (I think about some footballer). Everyone was up in arms and then it turns out the guy was actually sending racist death threats. I'm just wondering if Woods was arrested for something along these lines or if the story really is as stupidly insane as it first sounds.

ArmaniJeanss · 09-10-2012 03:24PM

humanji wrote: »

Does anyone have a link to what he actually said (the full list of comments)? I can't find it on the Guardian link (it's probably obvious, but I'm on the 3 o'clock slump).

I'm getting a bit of deja vu with this story and the one about the guy who was arrested for making jokes on twitter (I think about some footballer). Everyone was up in arms and then it turns out the guy was actually sending racist death threats. I'm just wondering if Woods was arrested for something along these lines or if the story really is as stupidly insane as it first sounds.

I assume it was the joke from 5 years ago.
Whats the difference between *geeky teenage star* and *high profile missing girl*? *Geeky teenage star* is still a virgin.

It was Beiber and Madelaine McCann 5 years ago, The Soham girls and someone else 10 years ago.

Nulty · 09-10-2012 03:25PM

humanji wrote: »

Does anyone have a link to what he actually said (the full list of comments)? I can't find it on the Guardian link (it's probably obvious, but I'm on the 3 o'clock slump).

I'm getting a bit of deja vu with this story and the one about the guy who was arrested for making jokes on twitter (I think about some footballer). Everyone was up in arms and then it turns out the guy was actually sending racist death threats. I'm just wondering if Woods was arrested for something along these lines or if the story really is as stupidly insane as it first sounds.

Some guy made direct remarks to Tom Daly the olympic diver about his deceased father. those were directed to the guys twitter account. Thats a form of harassment.

RustyNut · 09-10-2012 03:34PM

WindSock wrote: »

Well as someone posted on this thread earlier, no one bats an eyelid when it's peado priests. Or Jimmy Savile and Gary Glitter.

Which reminds me, did ya hear the one about the paedo priest, jimmy savile, Gary glitter and Apr.........

Looks over sholder

Maby not?

Fighting Irish · 09-10-2012 03:41PM

Scioch wrote: »

Is the moral of this story to start getting together in angry mods and descending on the homes of all the dirt bag TD's and bankers to get them arrested ? Cos I'll do it.

:rolleyes:

dj jarvis · 09-10-2012 03:42PM

My name is URL wrote: »

The fact that the police have stated that he was arrested for 'his own safety' says all you need to know about the mentality and intelligence of those emotionally attached enough to the whole story that they'd react in such a way to a stupid Facebook post.

The media as usual are the real scumbags in all of this.

so true

the media in the UK have a lot to answer .
I remember a case soon after the soham case , a pediatrician was attacked in his home becasue the knuckle dragers could not tell the difference between a pediatrician and a pedophile , apparently they both " mess with kids ":eek:

public hysteria fueled by the media , IMO everyone of the 50 strong crowd should have been locked up , what if it had happened in the case i just mentioned ? 50 angry stupid people turning up at your home wanting to kill you becasue you are a pediatrician

and the biggest issue in all this is the fact that it looks like the judge was also
influenced by the mob and the media

really scary stuff - funny, the British like to give off this air of moral superiority when it comes to cases like this , yet in my experience , behind closed doors the are a very deviant people , wife swapping , dogging , child abuse rings ect ect , dont get me wrong , i am sure it happens everywhere , just the brits come across as two faced on this subject.

** not saying for one minute that they would condone or endorse in ANYWAY child abuse - just the attitude to sex in public and the in private - two very different attitudes **

gerbilgranny · 09-10-2012 04:03PM

I hate these sort of disgusting jokes/comments.

And naturally, I have every sympathy for April and her family.

But I can't help making a comparison - the Great British Public generally seem to think it was okay to make jokes like that about Jade Goody.

She may have been no saint, but she wasn't racist - and actually, I don't think she was nasty.

Yet for a while she was treated in the British press like Public Enemy No 1, and at the time, moderators on many Big Brother Forums saw nothing wrong with posters saying she should be killed!

And many people online think it's perfectly acceptable to joke about her death. After all she was just some hideous reality tv personality, wasn't she? Forget about the fact that she was the mother of two very young children.

Don't imagine I'll get more agreement on this - but I wanted to say it, anyway...

Fratton Fred · 09-10-2012 04:04PM

dj jarvis wrote: »

so true

the media in the UK have a lot to answer .
I remember a case soon after the soham case , a pediatrician was attacked in his home becasue the knuckle dragers could not tell the difference between a pediatrician and a pedophile , apparently they both " mess with kids ":eek:

It wasn't Soham, it was the good old news of the screws again stirring up hatred when they published the names and addressess of a load of released peadophiles. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/901723.stm

dj jarvis wrote: »

really scary stuff - funny, the British like to give off this air of moral superiority when it comes to cases like this , yet in my experience , behind closed doors the are a very deviant people , wife swapping , dogging , child abuse rings ect ect , dont get me wrong , i am sure it happens everywhere , just the brits come across as two faced on this subject.

Huh? Sorry, but coming from someone in Ireland that's a bit much.

http://www.joe.ie/news-politics/current-affairs/irish-woman-dies-after-dog-sex-0013864-1

Blisterman · 09-10-2012 04:15PM

jackal wrote: »

What you don't seem to get is that it is the very fact that the case is well known that encouraged said idiot to do his attention seeking troll routine.

If nobody bats an eyelid about children from uganda, then thats not going to attract the attention he craves and he is not really succeeding. So these trolls are always going to go for the high profile things and try to gain attention.

I think the police have better things to be doing than checking peoples facebook for potential trolling. If enough people brought it to their attention, then things would be different.

Well if it's attention he craves (which I don't think it is, given he used the semi private medium of Facebook to post it), then arresting him and charging him, is only helping him attract attention.

12 weeks in Jail for offensive web posts about poor April Jones

Comments