‘A man has been ordered not to contact Coldplay singer Chris Martin and Countdown presenter Rachel Riley after sending hundreds of abusive tweets.’
BBC News, 31st May 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A man has been jailed for eight weeks for posting abusive Twitter messages about the death of school teacher Ann Maguire.’
BBC News, 8th May 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A “moronic” hoaxer who claimed a pub had banned military personnel to avoid offending the immigrant population has been given a community order.’
BBC News, 25th April 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Another year, and yet more criminal justice legislation. The Criminal Justice and Courts Bill 2013-14 is going through Parliament at the moment, and it will come as no surprise that it includes new criminal offences.’
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 22nd April 2014
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
‘Two people have pleaded guilty to sending “menacing” tweets to a feminist campaigner following her successful campaign to ensure a woman features on British banknotes.’
The Independent, 7th January 2014
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“More than 1,700 cases involving abusive messages sent online or via text message reached English and Welsh courts in 2012, the BBC has learned after a Freedom of Information request.”
BBC News, 30th July 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“A British man who threatened to kill 200 people in the US, in posts he made under a false name on Facebook, has been jailed for more than two years.”
BBC News, 9th July 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“Prosecutors should be mindful of observing individuals’ rights to free speech when deciding whether to initiate legal action against them over grossly offensive, indecent, obscene or false comments made on social media, according to new guidelines.”
OUT-LAW.com, 21st June 2013
Source: www.out-law.com
“A 24-year-old woman who posted racist comments on Facebook following the death of Drummer Lee Rigby has avoided a jail sentence.”
The Independent, 14th June 2013
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“A man who posted offensive comments on Facebook following the death of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich has been jailed.”
BBC News, 12th June 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“A 19-year-old man accused of making comments on a social media website following the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby has had his court case discontinued.”
The Guardian, 11th June 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Police arrested a student who complained to them about receiving threatening messages after she used Twitter to say that people wearing Help for Heroes T-shirts ‘deserve to be beheaded’ as news broke about the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich, a court heard on Friday.”
The Guardian, 7th June 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“A man who claimed to have kidnapped a former EastEnders actress, later found to have been murdered by her brother, has been jailed for six months.”
BBC News, 11th April 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“‘Trial by Google’ threatens to undermine the integrity of the British jury system and ‘offends the principle of open justice’, according to the attorney general, Dominic Grieve QC.”
The Guardian, 6th February 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Keir Starmer, the Director of Public Prosecutions, said too many investigations
into comments on networks such as Twitter would have a ‘chilling effect’ on free
speech. He issued his warning as he signalled that anyone who posted an
offensive message but then quickly removed it could escape prosecution.”
Daily Telegraph, 3rd February 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“A teenager who was arrested after posting a picture of a burning poppy on Facebook has escaped charges after meeting serving and former military personnel as part of a restorative justice programme.”
The Guardian, 20th December 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Drunken Twitter and Facebook users who post grossly offensive messages online may be less likely to face prosecution if they hit delete and express remorse after they sober up, Keir Starmer, the director of public prosecutions, indicated.”
The Guardian, 19th December 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has published interim guidance on when to prosecute people for grossly offensive and obscene messages they send on social media. The guidelines are now subject to a full public consultation. Earlier this year, I took part in a series of round table discussions with the DPP over how the guidelines would look.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 19th December 2012
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
“The Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, has today published interim guidelines setting out the approach prosecutors should take in cases involving communications sent via social media.”
Crown Prosecution Service, 19th December 2012
Source: http://blog.cps.gov.uk
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