An interesting discussion, even though some of the responses seem to be rather quick on the trigger. Having some insight into this case, I will try to answer the more substantial comments:
I can't believe she didn't twig earlier that her boyfriend was very, very odd. - Her experience ramped up over many months, during which the police were involved. Remember that the offender diverted attention by falsely accusing his friend, and was believed by the police.
I don't understand why they are continuing to show those photos of her. Surely they can grey it out, or not show it so much, or so close up . And she has those "other" hate ones still on her computer? - The programme makers wanted to make a Public Interest point that harassment currently charged under S2 of the Harassment Act can be tantamount to physical asault. However, this might have been possible with the use of fewer explicit images. She retained the ?hate? photos on her PC because she was passing them directly to the Police as evidence.
Her father is also odd. Not helpful. The thing her mother said, about how if her father'd known about the photos he'd have demanded that Ruth chose between him and Shane, was very weird. I would more likely have expected it to be that if the father'd found out he'd have gone round to have a go at him. - Fortunately, he was effective, rather than emotive. He did not have anything like a full picture, and had he ?had a go?, it would have been misdirected at the innocent man who was wrongly implicated.
I just don't understand why they didn't approach the police. - They did, many months before the case came to court, but the Police must have evidence at a criminal level of certainty. Internet crimes can be almost impossible to detect, and the Police have limited specialist resources.
The father called her relatively intelligent... read 'he is dimmer than his daughter' ? And probably brighter than self proclaimed exemplars of normality and intelligence. For intelligent, read a degree from Imperial, for dull, maybe the other extreme. Understatement requires that you be ?not bad? rather than claim brilliance for yourself or your daughter. In R's case, she managed 4's and 5's at SAT level 2, and 6's at Sat Level 3, and having been initially misconstrued to the SN maths and English sets in Year 7, was promoted to the higher tier sets in year 10. That's relatively intelligent!
Why did the police caution Lee without evidence? - Excellent question ? I think the answer is because the Police have to caution before they can search for evidence. Also, it took a long while for the technical material was sifted by specialists.
Father seems almost to be enjoying it, now he's received an email himself. - Absolutely, as he said to camera, he could now engage with a problem that had been obscure to him for many months. Not only that but it opened a new line of enquiry. At last, he was able to affect the outcome.
But yes, I fail to see how the police couldn't have wrapped this one up sooner when it seems to have taken her father an email or two and a couple of google searches. -
Surely if her Dad could work it out the police could have done that months previously rather than cautioning an innocent friend? - Dad had several advantages, new evidence, and a background in academic computing. The offender had launched his attacks from a web server in the USA, and communicated with that server via an encrypted link. Dad identified the offender, but the police still had to adduce evidence that would satisfy the court.
Is she wearing her mothers shirt? - Interesting question, but from one dim person to another, why do you ask?
4 months is shocking for years of harassment. - Most harassment cases appear to be disposed of out of court, and four months is the maximum that a Magistrates Court can award, after discount for a guilty plea. The Home Office are currently consulting for a change in law, which is why the family were prepared to facilitate the documentary. R was brave to appear before the camera, in full knowledge of the criticisms that would accrue, because she believes that the current law is inadequate, and that bullies should be confronted.
Was it a special needs class? Her father said 'for some reason they put her in the bottom set'. What's her SN? R does not have SN and why R was initially allocated to the SN stream remains unclear. At primary school, R consistently helped Downs Syndrome friends, and perhaps was setted by association ? or even for convenience.
You saw the sister laughing at the police van. It was all a game to them. - And an hour earlier she had been throwing up in the court, A long game responding to the offender, and culminating in three court apperances, at one of which the offender did not appear but texted a facetious aploogy effect that he was wasting time. There was overall relief that the case had run to conclusion. Trench humour perhaps.