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

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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,485 ✭✭✭dj jarvis


    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



    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

    i stated that it happens everywhere - i sure that includes Ireland
    and i was coming from the slant of one the one hand the Teleraph/sun/ bla bla on one hand ruining someone career for getting caught riding in a car , or getting caught having group sex , yet these very things THRIVE in the UK behind closed doors

    and a example of this would be that a swinger group in the Uk has close to one million members, yet when they tried to expand into Ireland they did not get ANY members

    they seem to say and act one way for the media and the community - yet act very differently in private - as i said a tad two faced

    its like group think every time a case like this comes to light, it just looks more exaggerated in the UK than other places i have lived


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 35,514 ✭✭✭✭efb


    El Weirdo wrote: »
    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.


    So what is 'proper trolling' have you an example?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 465 ✭✭Undercover Elephant


    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.

    "Incitement" in the JS Mill / Brandenburg v. Ohio sense (i.e. the ones which are used to justify restrictions on free speech) means that you are encouraging people to immediate lawless action. It definitely doesn't mean saying something stupid that might make people attack you.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 26,567 ✭✭✭✭Fratton Fred


    dj jarvis wrote: »
    i stated that it happens everywhere - i sure that includes Ireland
    and i was coming from the slant of one the one hand the Teleraph/sun/ bla bla on one hand ruining someone career for getting caught riding in a car , or getting caught having group sex , yet these very things THRIVE in the UK behind closed doors

    and a example of this would be that a swinger group in the Uk has close to one million members, yet when they tried to expand into Ireland they did not get ANY members

    they seem to say and act one way for the media and the community - yet act very differently in private - as i said a tad two faced

    its like group think every time a case like this comes to light, it just looks more exaggerated in the UK than other places i have lived

    say what now? You do realise that the Sun has a semi naked woman on poage three everyday. I'd hardly call that trying to make itself out to be a beacon of morality.

    Group think happens everywhere.

    http://www.herald.ie/news/angry-mob-chases-man-from-flat-as-hes-accused-of-flashing-at-children-from-his-balcony-3201130.html


    Anyway, I'm off to burn a few mythical bond holders for making me bankrupt.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 776 ✭✭✭Tomk1


    FaceBook comments arrest terrifies trolls
    http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/UnNews:FaceBook_comments_arrest_terrifies_trolls
    From my second most reliable news source, 1st being AH


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,939 ✭✭✭goat2


    no body in their right mind would even think of making sick jokes about children,
    what kind of mindset does a person have,
    in mind has to be a sick person who think like that never mind putting out there.
    when anyone with any bit of human compassion would be hoping and wishing that april and maddie mccanne and other children who have been taken will be reunited with their parents in good health and having been taken good care of.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,647 ✭✭✭✭El Weirdo


    efb wrote: »
    So what is 'proper trolling' have you an example?
    There are examples of proper trolling all over this site every day.

    It's the subtle ones. The ones that it takes a while for you to realise what they're doing, but when you go back over their posts and look at their contributions as a whole, you see it.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,753 ✭✭✭davet82


    SunnyDub1 wrote: »
    attention seeking , disturbed scumbag trying to impress his mates! Lil Sh*t should have got longer. He will be out in 3 weeks :rolleyes:

    gary glitter got 16 weeks compared to this guys 12 week sentence for another more disturbing internet crime imo so i think its actually excessive if anything...

    i agree with your description of the guy though :)


    on another note, its a pity justice isn't as swift for other crimes committed in the UK not just the 'popular' ones at the moment


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,554 ✭✭✭steve9859


    "Incitement" in the JS Mill / Brandenburg v. Ohio sense (i.e. the ones which are used to justify restrictions on free speech) means that you are encouraging people to immediate lawless action. It definitely doesn't mean saying something stupid that might make people attack you.

    Leaving aside legal speak, I would have thought that 'incitement' would apply to anything that you have posted something specifically to wind people up. That seems to the the common theme in the cases in which people in the UK have been jailed for social media comments.

    Im sure he didnt mean for people to attack him, but I'm sure he intended to wind people up for no reason other than his own kicks and giggles.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,195 ✭✭✭✭Galwayguy35


    I'm delighted the tosser got jail, why would someone want to make a joke about a little girl who has probably had a horrible end to her short life.

    I hope he gets a few slaps inside,


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  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    steve9859 wrote: »
    I don't really have a problem with it. A few more examples are made, and people might start thinking twice about posting and twittering that kind of stuff. It's about time some boundaries of behaviour were set, just the same as there are behavioural boundaries when you're walking down the street.

    Those boundaries are largely unwritten. For example, if I call you a prick on the street, it's not a nice thing to do, but you can't get me arrested for it. There are boundaries for behaviour on the Internet, just like everywhere else.
    steve9859 wrote:
    The Internet shouldn't be some place where anything goes.

    You don't understand how the Internet works, do you? Policing it is impossible. Even in the most totalitarian of states, it is trivial to subvert Internet censorship.
    steve9859 wrote:
    They need to track down some of the people involved in some of the tragic on-line bullying cases recently as well, and throw the book at them

    That's completely different to the original subject. Online bullying involves persistent, deliberate attacks on a person with the sole intent of causing pain. It's the exact same as bullying in real life, except on the Internet. Bullying isn't some kind of failure of a government, it's a failure of everyone around the people involved to put a stop to it.
    I'm delighted the tosser got jail, why would someone want to make a joke about a little girl who has probably had a horrible end to her short life.

    I don't understand your reasoning. Do you actually think it's a good idea to start imprisoning people who say distasteful things or make occasional offensive jokes? Did he constantly send messages to the family, mocking them for their loss?

    What if you cracked a joke in the pub about Madeline McCann and the thought police dragged you away? I'm sure you'd be singing a different tune.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 465 ✭✭Undercover Elephant


    steve9859 wrote: »
    Leaving aside legal speak, I would have thought that 'incitement' would apply to anything that you have posted something specifically to wind people up. That seems to the the common theme in the cases in which people in the UK have been jailed for social media comments.

    Im sure he didnt mean for people to attack him, but I'm sure he intended to wind people up for no reason other than his own kicks and giggles.

    Yes, and that's the nub of it. People are going to jail for winding other people up. This is not at all the same thing as trying to start a riot. It is the antithesis of free speech. It encourages anyone and everyone to claim "offence", rather than arguing back. It simply hands the floor to the most deranged loony in the room.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,095 ✭✭✭✭Zebra3


    I'm delighted the tosser got jail, why would someone want to make a joke about a little girl who has probably had a horrible end to her short life.

    I hope he gets a few slaps inside,

    :rolleyes:

    Of course by your own logic, you should be locked up for what you just posted. :


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,109 ✭✭✭MaxSteele


    British government couldn't care less about it's citizens. They just lick arse to look busy and do as they're told.

    Reminds me of this farce.



    Sure he'll have great fun. He can join the Aryan Brotherhood, get a few swastika's tattooed and engage in shank fights with blacks and latinos during shower time. :rolleyes:


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 465 ✭✭Undercover Elephant


    Those boundaries are largely unwritten. For example, if I call you a prick on the street, it's not a nice thing to do, but you can't get me arrested for it.

    You can, actually. Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994, section 6. It has the same language which allows the British police to arrest anyone who they don't like, as soon as the word "fcuk" comes out of their mouths.


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    You can, actually. Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994, section 6. It has the same language which allows the British police to arrest anyone who they don't like, as soon as the word "fcuk" comes out of their mouths.

    Yeah, and who is actually going to go to the Gardaí because someone called them a prick on the street? Maybe an eight year old. Will the Gardaí actually arrest the culprit?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,800 ✭✭✭Lingua Franca


    Depends on whether or not you've been slipping them free coffees...


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 465 ✭✭Undercover Elephant


    Yeah, and who is actually going to go to the Gardaí because someone called them a prick on the street? Maybe an eight year old. Will the Gardaí actually arrest the culprit?

    Does it matter? Serious question. Isn't the lesson from this case that giving large discretionary powers to law enforcement officers is a bad idea?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,554 ✭✭✭steve9859



    You don't understand how the Internet works, do you? Policing it is impossible. Even in the most totalitarian of states, it is trivial to subvert Internet censorship.

    IMO that doesnt mean that you dont try, and just wash your hands of it. Personally I think the UK authorities are doing a decent job of sending a message about what is acceptable. When explaining to your kids what they shouldn't be posting on-line, it's a hell of a lot easier when you're able to point to someone who is in a prison cell for what they did


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,705 ✭✭✭Mountainsandh


    goat2 wrote: »
    no body in their right mind would even think of making sick jokes about children,
    what kind of mindset does a person have,
    in mind has to be a sick person who think like that never mind putting out there.
    when anyone with any bit of human compassion would be hoping and wishing that april and maddie mccanne and other children who have been taken will be reunited with their parents in good health and having been taken good care of.

    Totally agree with you Goat2, but it's not about that really, it's more about a man having the right to be thick, repulsive and offensive, if that does not cause harm to another person.

    Some try to argue that being "offended" is to be harmed, imo it's not the same.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,705 ✭✭✭Mountainsandh


    steve9859 wrote: »
    IMO that doesnt mean that you dont try, and just wash your hands of it. Personally I think the UK authorities are doing a decent job of sending a message about what is acceptable. When explaining to your kids what they shouldn't be posting on-line, it's a hell of a lot easier when you're able to point to someone who is in a prison cell for what they did

    Ah now, in fairness steve9859, I have young kids too, and you can be sure they'll never post something as bad online, and I won't need an example like your man to explain anything like that to them.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 25,225 ✭✭✭✭My name is URL


    Meanwhile, Justin Lee Collins has been spared a jail term and instead received 140 hours of community service for abusing and harassing his ex-girlfriend
    A jury found the Friday Night Project presenter guilty of subjecting his 38-year-old partner to sustained emotional and domestic abuse during their seven-month relationship.

    The court heard how the TV personality forced his girlfriend to write down on a pad all her previous sexual encounters regardless of how graphic.

    Collins made her sleep facing him, throw away DVDs because they featured actors she found attractive and made death threats against her.

    http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/351100/Justin-Lee-Collins-found-guilty-of-harrassing-ex-girlfriend


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,355 ✭✭✭✭super_furry


    steve9859 wrote: »
    IMO that doesnt mean that you dont try, and just wash your hands of it. Personally I think the UK authorities are doing a decent job of sending a message about what is acceptable. When explaining to your kids what they shouldn't be posting on-line, it's a hell of a lot easier when you're able to point to someone who is in a prison cell for what they did

    Again I'm asking you, do you think Frankie Boyle should be sent to jail for his jokes about Madeline McCann?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,195 ✭✭✭✭Galwayguy35


    I don't understand your reasoning. Do you actually think it's a good idea to start imprisoning people who say distasteful things or make occasional offensive jokes? Did he constantly send messages to the family, mocking them for their loss?

    What if you cracked a joke in the pub about Madeline McCann and the thought police dragged you away? I'm sure you'd be singing a different tune.


    Well I guess that is the difference between us, I would never make a joke about a missing/murdered kid so no I wouldn't be singing a different tune.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,195 ✭✭✭✭Galwayguy35


    Zebra3 wrote: »
    :rolleyes:

    Of course by your own logic, you should be locked up for what you just posted. :

    No i shouldn't.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,485 ✭✭✭Thrill


    The thing that gets me is how far the bar has fallen.

    An offensive opinion and sick jokes are now things you can be brought to court for and sent to jail over.

    They seem to be able to interpret "grossly offensive" in any manner they choose. The current measure seems to be the size of the outcry over something posted online.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,633 ✭✭✭Feeona


    Ah now, in fairness steve9859, I have young kids too, and you can be sure they'll never post something as bad online, and I won't need an example like your man to explain anything like that to them.

    It's not your kids (or kids like them) that need the example. There are seriously f*cked up people in society who need to be told and shown the difference between right and wrong, and no matter how much money, time, man hours and other resources are spent on trying to get the message across, some people either don't understand or choose to ignore the message.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,381 ✭✭✭✭Allyall


    Seems like he's starting to gain some backing from the media.. a little..
    In terms of Jail time..

    The Guardian
    Matthew Woods 'joking' about April Jones on Facebook is sick, not criminal

    The Mirror
    Why Twitter trolls like Matthew Woods should not be jailed.. no matter how vile they are

    Huffington Post
    The Law is a Twit

    Chortle
    When did being a dick become a crime?

    Etc..

    It is ridiculous that any jail time was given at all..
    For one, it is an easy way out for the Court system. "Lock him up. Case Over."
    Bullshít. They didn't even talk about it. This sort of case should be treated well different than that of a normal case. He should have been made pay a fine, and maybe some community service, with someone who may have opened his eyes. This 12 week sentence really has me annoyed. I don't know why, as it doesn't affect me, unless i go an live in the UK and start to abuse people online, but it does take away one of our most basic rights as human beings.. It's ridiculous sentence, and those morons that were on their way to his house should all be shot.




  • Nulty wrote: »
    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.

    Exactly. All this 'it's not funny because it's X' stuff is so hypocritical. Look at all the jokes made on here about disabled people, other nationalities, all sorts of stuff. Anyone could get offended about anything.

    Madam_X wrote: »
    Kennedi Handsome Scabby I've made it clear I agree jail is ludicrous, so your third sentence is moot.

    What would you deem social media comments that are harmful to others?

    Things like death threats certainly warrant police attention, as do sustained bullying/harassment campaigns and internet stalking.

    Posting a stupid joke on Facebook is in no way harmful to anyone. Nobody in April's family would have even seen it if some moron hadn't reported it to the police.

    It's a total non-story and would have been ignored ten years ago, before the Great British Public turned into ridiculous, childish wet blankets with no sense of perspective. People who report things like this to the police should be arrested for wasting police time.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,381 ✭✭✭✭Allyall


    People who report things like this to the police should be arrested for wasting police time.

    +1


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