Met to launch £1.7m troll-hunter squad after steep rise in online threats and abuse – Daily Telegraph

‘Scotland Yard has created a new unit to police Facebook and Twitter by investigating offensive comments.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 14th August 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Two burglars due to be sentenced after torturing couple – The Guardian

‘A pair of burglars are facing prison after torturing a wealthy couple in their home before making off with £20,000 in cash, gold ornaments and silverware. John McCarthy, 35, and Richard Leslie, 37, were among a gang who terrified the couple during a night-time raid in November 2014.’

Full story

The Guardian, 7th July 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Online abuse: ‘existing laws too fragmented and don’t serve victims’ – The Guardian

‘The chief constable leading the fight against digital crime is calling for new legislation to tackle an “unimagined scale of online abuse” that he says is threatening to overwhelm the police service. Stephen Kavanagh, who heads Essex police, argues it is necessary to consolidate and simplify offences committed online to improve the chance of justice for tens of thousands of victims.’

Full story

The Guardian, 4th March 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

“Sexting” damages case: the legal issues – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

‘The award of damages to a victim of ‘sexting’ grabbed the attention of the media on at the beginning of December 2015. Given that the judgment appears to have been delivered in September 2015, it isn’t clear why it had not made it in to the news until this week, but such is the way of the media sometimes.’

Full story

Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 3rd December 2015

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

#killallwhitemen row: charges dropped against student diversity officer – The Guardian

‘Bahar Mustafa, the Goldsmiths student diversity officer who was due to appear in court after allegedly tweeting the hashtag #killallwhitemen, has had charges against her dropped.’

Full story

The Guardian, 3rd November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Lee Rigby internet troll spared jail – BBC News

‘An internet troll who claimed the murder of Lee Rigby was a conspiracy has been spared jail.’
Full story

BBC News, 27th August 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Prosecutors continue to tackle revenge porn across the country – Crown Prosecution Service

‘A 25-year-old man from Kidderminster has today, 13th August, been sentenced to a 12 month community order, handed a fine and ordered to pay costs, as prosecutors continue to tackle revenge porn across England and Wales using the new legislation.’

Full press release

Crown Prosecution Service, 13th August 2015

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Malicious use of intimate images : the problem and some practical and legal remedies – Family Law Week

Posted August 7th, 2015 in harassment, injunctions, malicious communications, news, pornography by tracey

‘Ariel Ricci, barrister at Coram Chambers, Julie Pinborough, Founder and Director of the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre and Frances Ridout, Deputy Director of the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre consider the growing problem of “revenge pornography”.’

Full story

Family Law Week, 31st July 2015

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Primary school teacher struck off for praising Isil murder of Alan Henning – Daily Telegraph

‘A primary school teacher has been banned from the classroom for life after praising Isil for beheading aid worker Alan Henning in string of offensive social media posts.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 2nd July 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Internet troll conviction rates soar in a decade, figures reveal – The Independent

Posted May 26th, 2015 in crime, electronic mail, internet, malicious communications, news, statistics by sally

‘Convictions for crimes under a law used to prosecute internet trolls have increased nearly eight-fold in a decade, official figures reveal. Last year, 1,209 people were found guilty of offences under Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 compared with 143 in 2004.’

Full story

The Independent, 24th May 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

New sentencing measures to take effect next month – Ministry of Justice

‘A series of tougher sentencing measures, new criminal offences and a more balanced judicial review system will come into force when the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 takes effect on 13 April.’

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 20th March 2015

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Policing abuse in the online world – where does the law currently stand? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

‘The prevalence of racist and misogynistic abuse online has become firmly established as a matter that now warrants considerable political attention. As legislators pick between the differences in “real world” and online forms of abuse, as well as judicial borders of the internet, Rhory Robertson, partner at Collyer Bristow LLP, outlines the many questions that must be addressed in any new lawmaking.’

Full story

Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 6th March 2015

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Prolific internet troll who branded victims paedophiles spared jail – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 11th, 2015 in bullying, internet, malicious communications, news, sentencing by sally

‘A prolific internet troll and former Conservative council candidate has escaped prison despite branding fellow users paedophiles.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 10th February 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Google case over online abuse to begin in High Court – BBC News

Posted November 24th, 2014 in defamation, internet, malicious communications, news by sally

‘The case of a UK businessman who wants Google to stop malicious web postings about him appearing in its search results is set to begin.’

Full story

BBC News, 24th November 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Jailed Twitter troll speaks of regret – BBC News

‘Internet trolling has become a growing problem in recent years, but is enough being done to teach children about online abuse?’

Full story

BBC News, 17th November 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Who, what, why: What laws currently cover trolling? – BBC News

‘Internet trolls could face two years in jail under new laws. But how does the British legal system currently police online abuse, asks Tom de Castella.’

Full story

BBC News, 20th October 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Man jailed for antisemitic tweet to Labour MP – The Guardian

Posted October 21st, 2014 in guilty pleas, internet, malicious communications, news, racism, sentencing by sally

‘An internet troll accused of sending an antisemitic message to Labour MP Luciana Berger has been sentenced to four weeks in prison at Merseyside magistrates court.’

Full story

The Guardian, 20th October 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Internet trolls face four times longer in jail, Chris Grayling pledges – The Guardian

‘Internet trolls who spread “venom” on social media could be jailed for up to two years, the justice secretary Chris Grayling has said as he announced plans to quadruple the maximum prison sentence.’

Full story

The Guardian, 19th October 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Peter Nunn jailed for abusive tweets to MP Stella Creasy – The Guardian

Posted September 29th, 2014 in harassment, internet, malicious communications, news, sentencing by tracey

‘Court sentences man to 18 weeks’ jail for bombarding politician with abuse on Twitter over Jane Austen £10 note campaign’

Full story

The Guardian, 29th September 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Judicial Speeches, Gaza Boycotts and Social Media Crimes – the Human Rights Roundup – UK Human Rights Blog

‘This week, former leaders of the Khmer Rouge face life imprisonment for crimes against humanity committed in Cambodia. In other news, the on-going conflict in Gaza sparks controversy at home, while the Lords inquiry into social media offences reaches an unexpected conclusion.’

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 18th August 2014

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com