The Director of Public Prosecutions, Kier Starmer, has now published its final guidelines stating how offensive a comment must be to justify police and prosecution time. There are already concerns that the guidance will not go far enough to prevent the growing phenomenon of online ‘trolls’. Starmer has said that prosecutors must respect and recognise freedom … Continue reading
A student who tweeted that people wearing Help for Heroes T-shirts “deserved to be beheaded” in the wake of the fatal attack on Lee Rigby in Woolwich, has narrowly avoided a jail term. The 21-year old English and politics student from Harrow had complained to Police about hundreds of threatening messages she had received … Continue reading
It has been widely reported that more people have been arrested for making alleged offensive comments on social media sites following the attacks in Woolwich, London this week. Following complaints from members of the public, a 23-year-old and a 22-year-old, from the Bristol area were held by Avon and Somerset Police on suspicion of inciting … Continue reading
The Attorney General Dominic Grieve has warned that Twitter users who have posted or retweeted pictures claiming to be of Jon Venables, who murdered James Bulger as a child 20 years ago, may be fined and could face a prison sentence. An order is in place to protect the identity of James Bulger’s killers, Venables … Continue reading
Kevin Poulter 