Facebook troll jailed after mocking death of teenager
AN INTERNET "troll" who created an offensive webpage mocking the death of a teenager has been jailed.
Sean Duffy, aged 25, admitted sending malicious communications to grieving relatives and friends of four children.
The family of Hayley Bates, of Biddulph, were among his victims.
The 16-year-old died in September last year when the Nissan she was travelling in on the A500 hit a parked lorry. Car driver Ian Lewkowicz, aged 26, of Hanford, was also killed.
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Eight months later, Duffy set up a Facebook page entitled Hayley Smash Nissan, where he doctored pictures of the Stoke-on-Trent College student, crossing out her eyes and posting a caption "used car for sale" and "one useless owner".
He was yesterday jailed for 18 weeks and handed an anti-social behaviour order banning him from using social networking websites for five years.
He has Asperger's syndrome and the court heard he has been bullied and isolated all his life, leading to depression and alcoholism.
He is only the second person in the country to be convicted of 'trolling', where people find information from bona fide media sources and set up inflammatory posts online.
Hayley's father, Kevin Bates of Congleton Road, Biddulph, said: "The internet is a useful tool, but you have to draw the line when it is abused like this.
"It's nearly a year since Hayley's death. It was horrific enough for her family and friends, but to be faced with this on top of everything was a nightmare."
Duffy, of Grovelands Road, Reading, Berkshire, did not know any of his victims and the court heard his life described as a "miserable existence".
He was diagnosed with Asperger's as a toddler and, after a troubled education, was told to leave his family home when his condition became too problematic, so he turned to drinking alone at his home in Reading.
Sentencing at Reading Magistrates' Court, Paul Warren, chairman of the bench, handed Duffy the maximum possible sentence, 18 weeks for each of the offences, to run concurrently.
He said: "You have caused untold distress to already grieving friends and family.
"This case serves to illustrate the harm and damage done by the malicious misuse of social networking sites."
A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: "Such acts of malicious communication on social media sites have no place in society and cause more distress to the families and friends of those who have died in tragic circumstances."
Comments
by PaulF430
Thursday, September 15 2011, 4:13PM
“Look at the picture of him...and he has the balls to mock others?!”
by warren46
Thursday, September 15 2011, 2:53PM
“Stokeandvale, is that remark in anyway relevant or useful in this debate. No. don't think it is, kindly keep the picture you are trying to paint to your own one track mind.....lol. You have shocked me twice in 2 days, are you going for the hat-trick.”
by NOONESHOME
Thursday, September 15 2011, 2:43PM
“Pat,If i had wanted to put legible i would have,what is wrong with readable in that context?,
You sound like Warrens wife,Have you been googling together.”
by stokeandvale
Thursday, September 15 2011, 2:39PM
“I wonder if the Troll has had his first game of Mummy's and Daddy's yet..............”
by pattsey
Thursday, September 15 2011, 2:21PM
“Great post at 07:17 Warren46.
NOONESHOME .. the word you were looking for is 'legible'.
Subtext, studying politics is no substitute for general knowledge and common sense. The Human Rights Act has mainly done two things for this country, given more rights to criminals and taken them from the law abiding.”
by NOONESHOME
Thursday, September 15 2011, 12:57PM
“Warren,I cannot believe you are telling me off for missing a t out of a word,
(at 6oclock this morning by the way),When almost every post you write on here is barely readable.I think perhaps you need to put your own house in order,and use spell check,before you critisise anyone else,ilness, or no illness,and to think i have defended you, and your spelling when people have denegrated you.No more mate.”
by warren46
Thursday, September 15 2011, 10:50AM
“Stokeandvale, I think you are making some sort of sense there, althought with you,I can't tell some times. But I have to agree that Facebook should make more of a effort to police there sites in a better way, and remove the grossly offensive stuff you do sometimes find there. There is a line between having freedom of speech and offensiveness, this one crossed it. The thing that some would find most upsetting is that he didn't seem to know any of the people involved. Until you are told that the lad had Asperger's, and understand how this would compel him to do this without care and treatment, its a very maddening case indeed.”
by stokeandvale
Thursday, September 15 2011, 10:18AM
“Just a quick point on this, i am no facebook user, however should facebook they not regulate/monitor there pages and delete them if offensive straight away. This should stop the local loon in his tracks”
by warren46
Thursday, September 15 2011, 7:17AM
“Nooneshome, I know you can read mate, so will you please read what I say. No, its not OK for this guy to carry on committing crimes, of this kind or any other- but the way, two t's in committing, very much the way you say it, unless you have had your teeth knocked out in prison....lol.
I'm happy with this guy going to jail, meaning he may indeed get some treatment for his illness in a place where the important first weeks of that can be controled. Treatment after he his freed should continue but would be easier to control and give, as he would be use to it by then.
Graham....... yes he pleaded guilty, but I would think under advice from his defence. People with Asperger's can be reasoned with and have a good understanding of that. He will know he as done wrong, just will see the reason why. He will have no or very little understanding of other peoples feelings that he would have never have met.
So you have to ask yourself why he did this, why was he not con-troll-ed more,- get it, con-troll-ed, never mind, I'll get my coat then. I would think its a lack of family support and bad care given, if any care given when living on his own.
Ausiegirl points out that people with Asperger's have a high level of intellect, witch they do and this guy shows this in the fact that he is seems to be able to use a computer very well indeed. We don't don't know anything more about him but I would think he show intellect in other ways as well, the fact that he took advice and pleaded guilty in-fact my show this.
So in closing, its safe to say, that given the fact that Asperger's sufferers show a hight intellect, most of the people posting hear don't in fact suffer from it.
I thank you for your time, and someone please hold the door open, I think I need to make a fast get away. They may indeed turn ugly.”
by NOONESHOME
Thursday, September 15 2011, 6:43AM
“I concur with Grahams post on aussie girl,well done that lady,I am sick to death of these people commiting the crimes ,then "it wasn't my fault"comes into play,with whatever excuse.
If you do the crime,you should do the time.Simple.”