Has a chatroom or message board conversation ever stood up in court?

[fairyfly]

I was just sat here wondering ( like you do), how long it would be until someone was arrested using evidence off a place like mumsnet.

How long will it be till social services and the police watch places like these and get license to do something about it.

I'm not talking about paedophilia or sex crimes, i realise that happens. More to do with child welfare, basic law breaking etc.....

Do you think looking into the history of mn would stand up in court?

I don't think it's suprising , i think it is all going to change in the next decade though.

oh but in response to acnebrides last post.

if a child was found injured ( or worse) and during the investigation it was found that the mother had posted on here that she had hit the child or wahtever then it woudl be seen as an admitance and would indeed be admited as evedence in teh case.

the opposing side could of course argue that someone else may have had access to teh computer but it would add to the prosecutions case file.

It can be used afaik, but only as a record or detail of chronology for something. Not the content as such.

I am currently using emails as evidence in my employment tribunal - thats not quite the same thing though.

I agree ff

I love it when sd agrees, she's a wise old bird

and I eat dormice

She sure is!

sd - I hear Fruit Shoots are a good accompanyment with dormice!

I think you meant you eat Door Mice, sick old bird also.

yikes i have just googled myself. I appear to have a dopleganger(sp) in new zealand and also one in calfornia.

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think it would have to be serious and multiple posts for me to consider contacting someone like the nspcc, after all what would you say ... some person, who I don't know, and whose name I don't know, I only know them by a user name on the internet, has posted something on a website ...

I do think that people dend to forget that what they're posting is on the internet and is technically available for anyone to see.

I know a few people who write online journals and who put their inner most thoughts in them, and yet these journals are technically public property. Years ago people kept a diary and kept it locked away, so why is it now that people feel the need to express their feelings so publically?

isn't it pretty hard to tell whether someone has posted for dramatic effect rather than strict adherence to the truth..I'm sure in some cases stuff is made up or embroidered

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