Freedom to say what you want

[Lingyai]

Sky News Today

Jail For Web Racist
Updated: 12:01, Friday October 06, 2006

A man who posted racist messages on a website in memory of murdered black teenager Anthony Walker has been jailed for more than three years.

Freedom of speech my sweet cock.
Bloke was a sick puppy, but now you can be jailed for writing on the internet?? The UK is turning into China I think.

 

[rosinacarley]

there you go again Ling, going of on one.

Why do you not post the link, so that we can read it ourselves. People do not get 3 years in prison for posting a few rascist remarks. It must have been much worse than that.

If you give us the name of the case, I will try and post the courts decision.

Then we can draw a reasoned and sensible judgement instead of hyperbole

 

[Lingyai]

SKY NEWS DOT COM
Wanna picture?

 

[Always_a_Civvy]

You forget Lingy that publishing anything on the internet of this nature and thereby distributing it constitutes an offence in just the same way it would if you published and distributed it in paper format.

However, that said, cyberlaw is a legal minefield!

Steve.

 

[rosinacarley]

no Always, cyberlaw is not so much a minefield.

Whilst contemplating same over my cheese toastie, I think he must have posted something truely vile - threats to kill? racialliy aggravated? putting people in fear?

Lets see the report and the charges before we make assumptions.

 

[Lingyai]

Good job really, but still, if arabs can post all over the net about how wonderful 9/11 was then where is the justice in that?
1 rule for 1 again methinks

 

[Lingyai]

Bit of a fiddler by all accounts as well, gary glitter syndrome

 

[rosinacarley]

Report

Sorry also to report it is near impossible to get judgements from Crown Courts, but please someone prove me wrong!

 

[Always_a_Civvy]

Oh Rosie, I'll have to post you some books on cyberjurisprudence, when I've finished reading them (about 2011 the ways things are going! :roll. It's a bit like human rights with the CPS seemingly finding various (often feeble IMHO) excuses for not prosecuting offenders who use the internet to espouse murder (religious liberty), violence against women and children (ditto) or racism (ditto).

 

[Always_a_Civvy]

Report

Sorry also to report it is near impossible to get judgements from Crown Courts, but please someone prove me wrong!

Some are printed in the All England Law Reports, though not many. You can also search specialist legal periodicals for topic related judgments and of course there are the Justis and Lawtel online databases (the easiest route these days). I presume this will become available on Lawtel in a few weeks time. The problem is, I understand, a shortage (and the cost) of court stenographers and producing transcripts for routine cases. Unsatisfactory but perhaps unavoidable in our overly cost conscious society.

 

[FlagWagger]

Bit of a fiddler by all accounts as well, gary glitter syndrome

Yes but if you look at the sentence he received, this is far less serious than the crime of race hate: 6 months for kiddie porn versus 32 months for the racial hatred.

Note - I'm not condoning either, nor am I supporting his comments; I am however a little non-plussed at the disparity between the two sentences and as a parent, a little concerned with the apparent lenient sentence for a child porn related offence.

 

[Lingyai]

Why should Britain tremble eh?