Sick online trolls are walking free as just one in 10 cyber bullies are jailed Ninety per cent of cyber bullies walk free with cautions or fines after plaguing victims with sick abuse, a Mirror investigation reveals. And the shock figures show police, prosecutors and courts have effectively downgraded trolling offences because of overwhelming numbers, an MP claims. In the past four years 8,675 people have been convicted, or given police cautions, in England, Wales and Scotland. But fewer than 10% of offenders were sent to prison. The Mirror uncovered the facts in a Freedom of Information follow-up into the suicide of 14-year-old Hannah Smith, who was told by trolls to “go and die.” Her tragic death led to our Stop the Internet Bullies campaign. MP Steve Rotherham, who has been looking at ways to beat web abuse, said: “Our police forces and CPS don’t have resources to cope with the volume of offences, which is why they’ve raised the threshold for a prosecution.” And the problem is far worse than figures show because trolls often work in gangs which cross international boundaries via overseas sites which allow anonymous posts . He added: “One aspect of trolling not adequately covered is its organised nature. In many cases, trolls discuss how they are going to grossly offend someone in a forum before posting their bile on social media sites. “Clamping down on these and raising international awareness of the crime, is key to increasing prosecutions.” In one of the worst cases, Matthew Woods, 19, of Chorley, Lancs, was jailed for 12 weeks last year after admitting “despicable” comments about murder victim April Jones, five, and Madeleine McCann, who has been missing since 2007. Woods was one of 1,423 people convicted last year of sending abuse over the internet under the Communications Act in England and Wales with 738 given cautions. Just 201 were jailed.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 09:27:50 +0000
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