Is this a freedom of speech issue?

[Borachio]

This man had to be arrested for his own safety.

A Lancashire man who posted offensive comments on Facebook about missing five-year-old April Jones has been jailed for 12 weeks.

Matthew Woods, 20, made a number of derogatory posts about April and missing Madeline McCann.

He appeared at Chorley Magistrates' Court where he admitted sending a grossly offensive public electronic communication.

Woods, of Eaves Lane, Chorley, was handed the maximum sentence.

Chairman of the bench, magistrate Bill Hudson, said his comments were so serious and "abhorrent" that he deserved the longest sentence they could pass, less a third to give credit for his early guilty plea.

Do we really have the right to say absolutely anything we choose? Always excepting shouting "fire" in a crowded cinema.

 

[Oruc]

This man had to be arrested for his own safety.



Do we really have the right to say absolutely anything we choose? Always excepting shouting "fire" in a crowded cinema.

What did he say?

 

[galdre]

People have the right to be offensive; IMO the line should be drawn at endangering the lives of others (such as shouting fire in a crowded cinema) or inciting violence.

 

[Borachio]

What did he say?

Good question.

Chorley magistrates heard members of the public were so upset about his posts they reported them to the police.

About 50 people went to his home. He was arrested at a separate address.

Members of the public reported the offensive online post about April Jones to police

The court heard his comments mentioned April, who went missing last week from near her home in Machynlleth, Powys, and Madeleine McCann, who vanished five years ago from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal

I don't know the answer. I haven't looked on Facebook and I expect the comments will have been removed.

I can well imagine the sort of "black humour" remarks, though. Apparently offensive enough to warrant prison.

 

[Oruc]

I don't know the answer. I haven't looked on Facebook and I expect the comments will have been removed.

Well it's hard to judge without knowing exactly what he said, I used to work with someone who sent alot of black humour jokes to my phone and I never had a problem with them I found them quite amusing

I can well imagine the sort of "black humour" remarks, though. Apparently offensive enough to warrant prison.

It's not unheard of for the undeserving to go to prison and the deserving to walk free.

 

[Borachio]

Well it's hard to judge without knowing exactly what he said, I used to work with someone who sent alot of black humour jokes to my phone and I never had a problem with them I found them quite

Quite amusing?

Yes. I don't suppose this would be a problem for this guy if he hadn't posted them in a public space.

But there are some people who would claim he shouldn't go to jail for whatever he wrote. The judge apparently disagreed. And 50 people wanted to kill him. Or at least viciously assault him.

 

[JollyRoger]

Trolling will get you put in jail? They should have arrested those that got trolled enough to threaten violence.

 

[Grendeldef]

People have the right to be offensive; IMO the line should be drawn at endangering the lives of others (such as shouting fire in a crowded cinema) or inciting violence.

This sounds just about right to me. Furthermore he presented his views in a place which is not forced on anyone but requires some active measures to get access to. Without someone getting offended and publishing the incident the vast majority would've been unaffected of his views or trolling.

The problem is that far too many gets offended by far too easily and want to act upon it, usually wanting bans or sanctions in some form which might seem like a fast and easy solution to the problem but will probably start an endless chain of restrictions.
I don't doubt that the man in question wrote something stupid and rude but why not just ignore it if he didn't do anything illegal or violated Facebook's likely comprehensive set of rules. That way he would just be another moron in the Net.

G

 

[Berzerker]

Trolling will get you put in jail? They should have arrested those that got trolled enough to threaten violence.

kinda ironic

they cant even really hide behind fighting words either

 

[Oruc]

Quite amusing?

Yes. I don't suppose this would be a problem for this guy if he hadn't posted them in a public space.

But there are some people who would claim he shouldn't go to jail for whatever he wrote. The judge apparently disagreed. And 50 people wanted to kill him. Or at least viciously assault him.

Yes quite amusing, sorry about Its a habit of mine missing out words for some reason.

Saying you want to kill someone or assault them is the generally accepted cut off point I would have assumed.

 

[Glassfan]

In Irving v. Lipstadt (2000), we were informed by Media that in contrast to the States, in the UK things like libel and defamation were easy to prove. Here you can say virtually anything - as in the current Obama/Romney slanderfest - but laws and customs are different in foriegn parts.

 

[The_J]

If I see it right, then he posted that stuff on his page, or on pages of friends, right? Then I don't understand this here. Don't see why it would not be okay.

On the other hand, if he had posted that *whatever* on the pages of the family, then it would have been another issue and probably been warranted.

 

[aelf]

Those barbaric MuslimsBritish, always resorting to violence when they get offended!

 

[innonimatu]

I don't know the answer. I haven't looked on Facebook and I expect the comments will have been removed.

I can well imagine the sort of "black humour" remarks, though. Apparently offensive enough to warrant prison.

Streisand effect already kicked in. So that people here know exactly what the arrestable offense was, the joke was "What's the difference between Mark Bridger and Santa Claus? Mark Bridger comes in April." In fact the joke wasn't even made up by that guy, he just posted it on some particular facebook page related to the search for the missing (murdered) child? Obvious remedy given that it was offensive in that place? Wipe it and ban him.

Tasteless black humor warrants prison in the UK? Just added it to my list of hellholes I'll never visit. And this is one case where the EU will probably be of some good use, as on recourse its courts will probably throw away this insane judgement.

 

[Borachio]

That's a very nasty joke.


edit: He got taken to court, pleaded guilty, and thrown in jail, remarkably quickly. Probably because 50 people were after him. So is this lynch mob justice?

 

[JollyRoger]

On the other hand, if he had posted that *whatever* on the pages of the family, then it would have been another issue and probably been warranted.

That sounds like a potnetial civil action, but not an arrestable offense.

 

[innonimatu]

Wait! The insanity of the judiciary gets worse! According to the latest news I've seen the guy who was arrested did not post the joke on that page. He posted it on his own page. Afterwards someone else took a screenshot of it and posted it on the page dedicated to finding the girl.

But he was the easy target for the populist judiciary on this one, so they went after him. Might have been that the screenshot was captured and posted there just to screw him. And because the whole specifics of this are being censored in the media now (afraid of the insane british laws, or riding the populist wave of anger?) it's hard to figure out just exactly what happened...

 

[Borachio]

Incidentally, the prosecutors seem really sure that Bridgers is the killer. But what if he's innocent? That would be a nightmare to find yourself in, for sure.

 

[GhostWriter16]

He should obviously be allowed to say anything he wants.

Sometimes I feel like America is the only country that "Gets" liberty. Than I remember we still have the Patriot Act, TSA, and highest incarceration rate in the world, and I just shake my head.

 

[innonimatu]

Incidentally, the prosecutors seem really sure that Bridgers is the killer. But what if he's innocent? That would be a nightmare to find yourself in, for sure.

I'm just now taking a look at news about that case (hadn't even heard of it until today) where is the material evidence?

edit: corrected