'Heather' Herbert Charged Over Ann Widdecombe Comments

[PandorasMailbox]

About time imo

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2ln31g8gvo

Hahahahahaha. Ahem.

Good

I agree. He's a nasty piece of work but the tweets I saw fell short (imo) of the threshold. For it to be a crime, it'd have to actually be inciting violence rather than just gloating and nastiness.
Unless there is something more to it.

The fantastic Martine Croxall taking no shit from Herbert 😂

He kept insisting it wouldn't change his everyday life and I felt that he was dying to say it's because he'll carry on using the womens' toilet anyway. But she wasn't going to give him chance.

Police Scotland have probably received so many more of Herbert's podcasts and posts showing he and his polycule are a threat to anyone who disagrees that they are women. Inciting violence and revelling in the murders of sex realists.

Aberdeen University would be on very dangerous ground if they don't sack him after charges.

I’ve complained

Maybe because it is now sub judice.

The BBC did cover it with the name and Trans info before charges were brought.

It's going to be very interesting to see how this plays out.

After years of getting away with appalling behaviour, it must be a bit of a shock to him that he's finally having his collar felt.

And yes, he should lose his job at the university.

I agree with PP. As abhorrent as his post was I sincerly hope he has not been arrested purely o that basis as it becomes a very slippery slop tha nAnn herself would have fought against.

So I can only surmise that they have looked into other posts that did incite hatred or violence

I'm amusing myself by imagining Herbert as a guest being interviewed by Alan Partridge: "A polycule- is that some kind of geometric sex dungeon? Does it require planning permission?" In Partridgian tones of barely concealed disdain.

Yes, he was saying that he'd carry on using the women's toilets anyway, so fuck to us all.

That was kind on my thought to be honest. It was a vile post but was it illegal?

The police have been quick to thought police gender critical comments in the past and warn people which I also disagreed with.

Wonder what the actual charge is?

Worth bearing in mind that the law is different in Scotland. I wonder if he's been arrested and charged under Scotland's Hate Crime and Public Order Act, which criminalises all sorts of speech, and we were all worried would be used against gender-critical feminists. What a delicious irony it would be if that was the Act he has been charged under.

If this vile man does end up with any kind of custodial sentence then I hope they throw him into a men’s prison where he belongs.

It was a vile, vile comment.

But I share your reservations about the policing of speech where no incitement is proven - and I winder what the legal professionals will make of hate speech against a deceased person? Where would that end?

However...we don't know the charges yet so who knows.

Or is this a, what did they call them? A non crime hate incident? We know the police is all over those. Unless, of course, actual women are the target.

That would be delicious irony. His comments were in poor taste however I don’t believe there should be criminal charges for them.

Of course it should lead to dismissal... Vile comment...

I loathed AWs stance, but I would NEVER wish her harm

Does this fall foul of Scottish hate crime laws?

It will be interesting to see the actual charge. The usual charges when people have been nasty online are either related to malicious communications or to stirring up hatred against a minority group (this was what Lucy Connolly was prosecuted for).

But the tweets about Widdicombe don't fall easily into either of those categories. It's hard to charge someone with malicious communications when the target is dead.

So I do wonder if the charge is something to do with Herbert knowing in advance about the way she died. It would be extraordinary if true.

And does this have any implications for Sarah Phillimore's defamation case?

Same @IamtheDevilsAvocado

I disagreed with her opinion on several topics, but I would never have wished such a horrific ending. She must've been terrified.

Strongly agree. Seems a nasty person but a complete waste of police time

To be fair, they have been careful in that article and not mentioned if was a man or woman. They use “worker”, “employee”, “50-year-old”.

The tweet was intended to be grossly offensive so is arguably a malicious communication. Initially the police took no action so I wonder if they have found some link between him and Anne's murderer, if they have just decided the scale of the online response moved the needle from offensive to grossly offensive or if they have looked at other tweets from him that clearly incite violence.