[kellyhound]

An internet "troll" who created an offensive webpage mocking the death of a teenager has been jailed.

Sean Duffy, aged 25, admitted sending malicious communications to grieving relatives and friends of four children.

The family of Hayley Bates, of Biddulph, were among his victims.

The 16-year-old died in September last year when the Nissan she was travelling in on the A500 hit a parked lorry. Car driver Ian Lewkowicz, aged 26, of Hanford, was also killed.

Eight months later, Duffy set up a Facebook page entitled Hayley Smash Nissan, where he doctored pictures of the Stoke-on-Trent College student, crossing out her eyes and posting a caption "used car for sale" and "one useless owner".

He was yesterday jailed for 18 weeks and handed an anti-social behaviour order banning him from using social networking websites for five years.

He has Asperger's syndrome and the court heard he has been bullied and isolated all his life, leading to depression and alcoholism.

He is only the second person in the country to be convicted of 'trolling', where people find information from bona fide media sources and set up inflammatory posts online.

Hayley's father, Kevin Bates of Congleton Road, Biddulph, said: "The internet is a useful tool, but you have to draw the line when it is abused like this.

"It's nearly a year since Hayley's death. It was horrific enough for her family and friends, but to be faced with this on top of everything was a nightmare."

Duffy, of Grovelands Road, Reading, Berkshire, did not know any of his victims and the court heard his life described as a "miserable existence".

He was diagnosed with Asperger's as a toddler and, after a troubled education, was told to leave his family home when his condition became too problematic, so he turned to drinking alone at his home in Reading.

Sentencing at Reading Magistrates' Court, Paul Warren, chairman of the bench, handed Duffy the maximum possible sentence, 18 weeks for each of the offences, to run concurrently.

He said: "You have caused untold distress to already grieving friends and family.

"This case serves to illustrate the harm and damage done by the malicious misuse of social networking sites."

A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: "Such acts of malicious communication on social media sites have no place in society and cause more distress to the families and friends of those who have died in tragic circumstances."

[gatagato]

He has Asperger's syndrome and the court heard he has been bullied and isolated all his life, leading to depression and alcoholism.

All those who bullied and isolated him did the right thing: a man with that face deserves to be kicked in the ass to death, by default. I hope inmates will finish the work in jail, slowly and painfully.

Reminds me of the story of the emails sent to the relatives of Nikki Catsouras, same type of shit.
One is free to love gore, but not to harass people suffering a pain like no other.

[Faline]

Loser and waster

[d23623d]

Originally Posted by gatagato ↗

All those who bullied and isolated him did the right thing

We are a mix of nurture vs. nature and had he not been bullied he probably wouldn't have been doing such a horrible thing. I'm not saying his past is an excuse for what he did, but every stupid motherfucker who bullied him is in part responsible for all of the suffering that that girl's family went through.

I hope more people get charged with trolling and that the sentences be harsher. Disrespecting the dead is horrible horrible thing and those who do it deserve harsh punishment and mandatory counseling to ensure we don't have to deal with their bullshit further down the road.

[NutNurse]

What an absolute tool.

[nullface]

Yet nothing happens to the protesters at military funerals calling the dead '*******' and 'Murderers' among other insults. Then again this is the UK, not USA.

[5umguy24]

I wouldn't be surprised if he was also a banned DR member.

[jinhwangtikatang]

Although he's a little wanker who deserves a good kicking, I'm not too happy about people getting prosecuted for what they post online. The UK Government are known for taking that sort of power and misusing it,

[scubahood]

What was the charge, exactly?

[LissaMarie88]

What a jerk