internet troll jailed - a bit ott?

[netherlee]

Troll jailed

OK this man is depraved and he deserved to be punished, but AIBU to think prison is a bit far? Then again, MN trolls take note. There are consequences if you cross the line.

[sausagesandmarmelade]

You think his punishment was unjust????

REALLY???

You don't empathise with those who were distressed by his actions....who may have had nervous breakdowns or been pushed over the edge.

I think it's blooming marvellous.
Bout time people were made to account for their nasty, scummish, bullying behaviour online.

We will see a lot more of this sort of thing in time to come (I reckon) and it's a good thing.

[PeneloPeePitstop]

It's an incredibly tough call. Whilst his Aspergers could mean a lack of empathy the fact he had been cautioned previously against similar behaviour does point to him wilfully continuing.

If he was unable to grasp the concept of his behaviour being wrong despite the cautions then perhaps measures should have been taken to ensure he was not able to have the kind of online independence that meant he could do this. Close supervision perhaps.

[silverfrog]

well, exactly PeneloPee. being cautioned for similar offences previously does not mean he got any support in a) understanding what he was doing and how it was wrong or b) help in not re-offending.

I think a lot of posters here are not realising the absolute extremes of non-empathy that can manifest with Aspergers. it is entirely possible that he coudl do those things, on specific dates, seek out a range of similar families and tragedies - all without actually realising or knowing what distress he was causing.

[MarginallyNarkyPuffin]

'what so called condition he has'

Did you mean that to sound so ignorant and bigoted?

[silverfrog]

"so-called condition", sausages? are you implying that aspergers does n ot exist as a diagnosable condition?

[PeneloPeePitstop]

sausages, you do realise that's an incredibly prejudiced view?

[cingulare]

thanks, festi thats really interesting.

[Mitmoo]

I don't think jail will make any difference to be honest. With or without AS only a person who is suffering from some kind of mental health issue could get anything from those awful distressing messages. Something should be done to find out why he sent those message and then work done to correct his thinking.

Jail will just mean he'll come out the same as how he went in. This troubled man needs "fixing" and if it is AS related depending on the severity on the scale obviously, then they can learn what is hurtful though it can well be a longer process.

Very hurtful stuff but my question would focus on why he did it and how to stop him thinking it's acceptable.

[PeneloPeePitstop]

AS is a mental health disorder though surely?

[MarginallyNarkyPuffin]

Silverfrog I understand what you're saying, but is it not also possible that he got the help but still couldn't/wouldn't accept what he was doing was wrong? From what people have been saying it sounds like it is possible that even with official cautions etc he might have disregarded any advice and not forseen the consequences of repeating his actions.

If he's been previously cautioned for similar offences it sounds like the police/CPS did take the fact that he has Asperers into account but simply ran out of options. What do you do when someone repeatedly breaks the law and all non-custodial options have proven ineffective?

[Empjusa]

As far as I'm aware, Asperger's doesn't involve being deliberately cruel. Not understanding emotions/consequences sure, but going out of their way to create nasty videos etc. I feel that attempting to justify his behaviour by blaming it on the Aspergers is unfair on other people with Aspergers.

I'm glad the police and courts have taken this seriously

[PeneloPeePitstop]

Marginally surely if that was the situation he shouldn't have been afforded the level of independence he had as if he was disabled enough by his condition to not be able to grasp how very wrong he was then that would bleed through to other areas of his life?

If he was just a nasty piece of work that happened to have AS then that's another matter.

[silverfrog]

Narky - I would find it highly unlikely that he got any help with developing his social awareness and empathy skills, tbh (purely form an insiders perspective - my dd has ASD, my brother has HFA/AS - there is very little help out there even while at school, if there is no learning disability especially, let alone once you have left school and are "out there" on your own)

Empjusa: if he is not capable of understanding the situation fully, and unable to empathise with his victims, then by extension he is not doign it to be deliberately cruel. He may not have understood the videos were cruel and nasty.

[festi]

just to add I think that AS should be covered within the law a stand alone just like LD and MH are. as many health trusts and social services play tennis with many individuals dispite "partnerships" before support if any is provided.

The only thing that supports, protects individulas is the mental capacity act, however it is not specific enough and terms of assesment seems to serve a purpose of non intervention rather than Intervention...That is my opinion only

[Empjusa]

"Otherwise he gets out in 18 months and will just carry on"

The article says 18 weeks rather than months.

I think the more effective part of the sentencing is probably the social networking ban (if they can enforce it).

It'd be interesting to know whether they tried any other measures to stop him when he was previously cautioned, and I suspect the jail time is much more for the benefit of the families he has been tormenting. I imagine they'll be grateful for the break.

[cingulare]

would like to back up startfire silverfrog MNP and others here.

i'm also, curious to know why sausages needs to refer to AS as ''a so called'' condition.

AS is irrefutably a mental health disorder

the trouble with this sort of 'political' sentencing is that it satisfies certain people but does nothing to solve the problem or prevent it happening again.

best example was people wanting to believe that the yorkshire ripper was 'evil' and should be imprisoned despite all the evidence that he was suffering from schizophrenia. he was quietly transferred from prison to broadmoor after the media fuss had died down,

[Kladdkaka]

AS is a mental health disorder though surely?

No it isn't. It's a difference in cognitive function. We process information differently that's all.

[MarginallyNarkyPuffin]

I can accept that social networking sites are possibly the worst place for someone who has trouble seeing what is outside of acceptable social interaction. Facebook is full of vile groups that post cruel, bigoted, hateful stuff about celebs, ethnic groups and individuals.

There is a huge amount of sick, nasty stuff on networking sites and for someone who can't see the boundaries clearly, it might be hard for to see why what he did was so different to people posting horrible jokes about tragedies or celebrity suicides.

[PeneloPeePitstop]

Absolutely there is cognitive impairment, but there are also mental health issues associated in some cases. Mind you given the spectrum is so broad every single case is completely different.

[MarginallyNarkyPuffin]

The appropriate way to deal with trolling is to contact MNHQ.

Just sayin'

On a totally different topic, we can PNG people.