Man charged over online comments about fan death

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd6qn99gjw6o.amp

Posted by WernerHerzogEatsShoe

28 Comments

  1. WernerHerzogEatsShoe on

    Saw this unfolding on twitter. Obviously it’s a disgusting thing to say, the guy is terrible, but to me this seems like another example of something which shouldn’t ever be a police matter. Assume he’s been done under the communications act/online safety act which often seems to be very over reaching in its use.

  2. No-Number9857 on

    The fact this is a police matter but the police couldn’t be arsed finding my stolen car just shows their priorities are way off, and in the end will make people distrust the police more . They cannot have low funding or personnel if they have time to scroll through X all day.

    Very distasteful but should never be a crime. As some one pointed out already, when those mocking the death of Thatcher going to be arrested?

  3. Impressive_Monk_5708 on

    Nasty words online will get you in more trouble than being a sex offender in the uk, this country really has gone to poo poo.

  4. Nasty bastard but really? The police could go after actual criminals instead couldn’t they? I know mental idea

  5. I put in a report a few years back about a car at speed mounting a pavement close to a primary school on a route being used by children, fortunately after normal hours but as after school club ended so there were some children around. I took the driver details, car details and put a report into the local police station along with other witnesses

    A few weeks later I received an answerphone message telling me that they would not be proceeding with this investigation.

  6. ConfusedQuarks on

    No resources to police burglaries they say. But lot of resources and time to police words spoken online? I would like to understand how the police prioritise cases in the limited time they have

  7. Hadhamboy1966 on

    It was also Sheff Weds fans that mocked late young Sunderland fan Bradley Lowery during a home game (0-3 defeat) by waving a phone with pictures of Bradley around in front of the visiting fans, all whilst laughing and joking. Not sure what’s up, all of the Owls fans I know are sound folk – but I guess there’s a vile minority at all clubs.

  8. Extra_Honeydew4661 on

    It’s so easy for police to charge people with anything they say online, but investigating someone being mugged isn’t worthy of police time.

  9. yetanotherdave2 on

    Kind of odd people seem to get arrested for this but not for calling for the deaths of Israelis or Palestinians at the moment.

  10. Commercial_Umpire849 on

    If you’re DMing a loved one of the dead to mock them then yeah that should be dealt with as harassment but otherwise this is stupid

  11. Madness_Quotient on

    The “down the pub” argument holds no water.

    No one is stopping that. If you say something gross down the pub and someone doesn’t like it, you are liable to learn the hard way, right quick.

    You have freedom of speech.

    You do not have freedom of sending gross comments over public communication networks.

    And no, that is not the same thing you dafty.

  12. *sigh*

    The guy is a complete bellend who said (typed) something vile. No drama with him losing his job, getting kicked out of his golf club, banned from the stadium etc. But being a twat shouldn’t get plod knocking on your door unless you’ve actively threatened or persistently harassed someone.

  13. Hopeful_Strategy8282 on

    Finally the lack of good quality policing makes sense, they’re too busy arresting people for being a bit of a dickhead.

    Not gonna defend this guy for a second, but shouldn’t there be some kind of lesser force dealing with this stuff? People learn that this cruelty is an unchangeable reality when they are told ‘sticks and stones’, so it seems a bit unfair to decide to start throwing consequences around when these types are on the other end of it

  14. Dizzy-King6090 on

    So police in understaff and won’t bother to respond to most of the calls of burglaries and thefts but when some muppet will hurt someone’s feelings online they are gonna put a signal on, on their way to pick him up. I believe I speak for all of us when I say “Thank you!” we all feel much safer now while browsing social media!

    If the Labour plan of tackling crime is wasting time and resources for prosecuting keyboard warriors they will be gone before they will manage to open all those free gifts.

  15. State of this country.

    Police officers should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. But they aren’t. Just want the easy life until 55 so they can keep draining tax money.

    Imagine arresting someone for hurting your feelings! How pathetic.

  16. terrordactyl1971 on

    Ridiculous country. We love to jail Facebook warriors and soup throwers……meanwhile pedos like Huw Edwards walk free and violent criminals leave prison early to make space for the online influencers

    Oh, and if you get burgled, don’t phone the police, they’re too busy looking for teen bully’s on Snapchat and Tiktok

  17. Visual-Blackberry874 on

    The prisons are full, apparently. Filled with trigger happy social media posters.

  18. Charging the man will only give the offensive comment more oxygen. It’s called the Streisand effect. It’s a self defeating process. Nobody wins here.

  19. bluecheese2040 on

    Disgusting, yes…criminal….I don’t think it should be.

    Let’s consider the rampant shoplifting, phone snatching, the rise in sexual assaults…personally, I don’t think someone being nasty on social media should even merit police time.

  20. earth-calling-karma on

    That shit poster will feel the brunt more than the officials and publishers behind the mass homicidal event of 1989.

  21. I understand why people have “concerns” about the reach of these laws. But, on the other hand, it should be really simple to avoid getting in trouble.

    I’ll help you people out who seem to be worried about it affecting them, just one tip to avoid any trouble…

    1. Don’t be a cunt

  22. There have been reports of people handing over CCTV footage of burglaries and sending location details of stolen iPhones to the police who then refuse to act on it.

    The police need to get their priorities in order.

  23. “I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

  24. Meanwhile, you can call two living Indian people coconuts because you don’t think they behave “brown” enough and that’s absolutely fine.

  25. This is utterly disgusting. What he said was objectionable, no doubt about that, but to arrest him?! What draconian law has he broken?