Internet troll is jailed after mocking deaths of teenagers online.

[EeveeElectro]

Some of you may remember the story on here about a troll who was arrested last year for mocking Jade Goody's family over her death amongst other things.

It's happened again (maybe several times again, this is the only one I've heard of recently).


From the article:

An internet troll who posted videos and messages mocking the deaths of teenagers, including a girl hit by a train, has been jailed.

Sean Duffy, 25, targeted Facebook tribute pages and posted videos on YouTube taunting the dead and their families.

Among his victims was Natasha MacBryde, 15, who died instantly when hit by a passenger train near her home in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.

The day after Natasha's death in February, Duffy posted comments including "I fell asleep on the track lolz" on the Facebook tribute page created by her brother James, 17.

Four days later he created a YouTube video called "Tasha the Tank Engine" featuring her face superimposed on to the front of the fictional engine.

Duffy, who is unemployed and did not know any of his victims, pleaded guilty to two counts of sending malicious communications relating to Natasha.

He asked for three other cases of Facebook trolling ? posting offensive messages on the internet ? to be taken into consideration when he appeared before magistrates in Reading, Berkshire.

Jailing him for 18 weeks, the chair of the bench, Paul Warren, told him: "You have caused untold distress to already grieving friends and family.

"The offences are so serious only a custodial sentence could be justified."

He tries to pin the blame on his Aspergers syndrome claiming he didn't know the effect he was causing on the victims family and friends. Now, I'm not an expert on the subject, but I'm pretty damn sure Aspergers sufferers know a sense of right from wrong.
I find it frankly appalling he is trying to hide behind this; he's sick, disability or not.
I hope any trolls who are as deranged as him take this as a warning lest they follow in his footsteps and manage to sort their lives out.


Thoughts/opinions?

 

[The Great Zegrool]

Eighteen weeks! Hot damn, is that an over-reaction.

It wasn't funny, but it sure as hell didn't warrant four months of hard time.

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

Now that's what I call justice!
Trolls are entitled to their opinion, just like everyone, but there is a line that shouldn't be crossed if you're a decent human being.

 

[hellflame]

Got what he deserved.
feel free to have your own opinion. but if you don't have something nice to say don't say anything at all?

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Jail?

Are we gonna start jailing people who call each other "fatty" or "four-eyes" next?

How about moderating comments better?

 

[The Great Zegrool]

Now that's what I call justice!

Now, I'm not an expert on the subject, but I'm pretty damn sure Aspergers sufferers know a sense of right from wrong.

Four months of time for a man with Aspergers? We are thinking of the same disorder, right? The one where sufferers have no idea how to communicate properly?

 

[LilithSlave]

He tries to pin the blame on his Aspergers syndrome claiming he didn't know the effect he was causing on the victims family and friends.

Am I going to go to jail for laughing at this?

 

[Ruzinus]

He tries to pin the blame on his Aspergers syndrome claiming he didn't know the effect he was causing on the victims family and friends. Now, I'm not an expert on the subject, but I'm pretty damn sure Aspergers sufferers know a sense of right from wrong.

You are correct. No doubt an expert or two appeared in court to say as much.

 

[FalloutJack]

-Trolling Does Not Pay-

Speaking as someone who has Aspergers...

[HEADING=1]YES![/HEADING]

The system works. We will not have unforgiveable assholes blaming their psychology for being heartless bastards. We will punish those who cause us harm!

 

[Booze Zombie]

This one is a bit fiddly. On the one hand, he's a dickhead. On the other hand, he may very well be completly ignorant of what effect words can have on people, I know I was for a while.

 

[w-Jinksy]

Not that i'm condoning what the kid done but isn't he allowed to say what he wants, freedom of speech and all

 

[DEAD34345]

Well, it's a pretty sick thing to do, but I really don't think he should have got jail time, or been punished by the law at all. What he did was horrible, but jailing people just for being offensive is actually a worse crime in my opinion.

 

[Ickorus]

Im fairly happy about this outcome, maybe people will start thinking about what they say online now.

And of course, not be disgusting excuses for human beings.

Well, it's a pretty sick thing to do, but I really don't think he should have got jail time, or been punished by the law at all. What he did was horrible, but jailing people just for being offensive is actually a worse crime in my opinion.

There are laws in place against verbal harrassment and i'd consider what this guy did to be a pretty extreme form of that.

Funny thing is the idiot probably would have gotten away with it if he hadn't used his Facebook account to do it.

 

[StriderShinryu]

He tries to pin the blame on his Aspergers syndrome claiming he didn't know the effect he was causing on the victims family and friends.

Am I going to go to jail for laughing at this?

Heh That was sort of my thought as well. I'm not saying Asperger's doesn't exist, but it's just getting pathetic at this point. It's like the new ADHD where it's being blamed for every single case of acting inappropriately in a social situation.

 

[The Great Zegrool]

Speaking as someone who has Aspergers...

But is it to the same degree as this guy?

This one is a bit fiddly. On the one hand, he's a dickhead. On the other hand, he may very well be completly ignorant of what effect words can have on people, I know I was for a while.

Especially since his disorder could very well interfere with his ability to tell the difference between dark humor and insults.

 

[Cid Silverwing]

Speaking as a fellow sufferer of Asperger's - the disability has fuck all to do with seeing right and wrong. This was pre-meditated. This is sociopathy at its worst. A genuine case of someone excusing his deliberate trolling as caused by a genetic disease.

Also, trolls are not entitled to opinions.

 

[TriGGeR_HaPPy]

Now that's what I call justice!

Now, I'm not an expert on the subject, but I'm pretty damn sure Aspergers sufferers know a sense of right from wrong.

Four months of time for a man with Aspergers? We are thinking of the same disorder, right? The one where sufferers have no idea how to communicate properly?

There's a difference between a lack of empathy and/or little to no understanding of social cues (extremely simplified, I know, but it's just to get my point across), and purposefully "trolling" a grieving group of family and friends.

His aspergers doesn't come into play here, he was just trying to use it as a shield.

EDIT: A bit more on topic, that sentence still may have been a bit harsh, but it's almost 5am here as I take a break from doing a uni assignment, so I'm not thinking clearly enough to make an informed descision on that sentence.

 

[Kekkles]

He broke the law, was brought into a law court and proven guilty, he deserves his time in jail for that alone. For what he did on the other-hand was sickening and hurt the lives of others by mocking the dead, so he should always be unforgiven of his doings. This man needs help, some serious help.

 

[Ruzinus]

Not that i'm condoning what the kid done but isn't he allowed to say what he wants, freedom of speech and all

Freedom of speech not invincible. Example on point here, harassment. Also worth noting that this trial wasn't in America.


Marioland backwards:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger%27s