Troll gets 18 weeks jail time

[Don]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-14894576



A Berkshire man has been jailed for posting abusive messages online about a schoolgirl after she committed suicide.

Sean Duffy, 25, of Reading, was handed an 18-week sentence for posts on social networking sites about Worcestershire teenager Natasha MacBryde.

He previously pleaded guilty at Reading Magistrates' Court to sending indecent or offensive communications.

Police said Duffy also posted abuse about dead teenagers in Northumberland, Gloucestershire and Staffordshire.

Duffy, of Grovelands Road, admitted two offences of "trolling" a term used to describe the trend of anonymously seeking to provoke outrage by posting insults and abuse online.

They related to Facebook and YouTube posts about Miss MacBryde, 15, from Bromsgrove, who Duffy had never met.

He was traced by police through information from his internet service provider and arrested.

Miss MacBryde had thrown herself under a train in February after being bullied.

Duffy subsequently posted anonymous messages on a remembrance page - "Monday 14th February will always be remembered as Tasha MacBryde day" - set up by her 17-year-old brother James to allow friends and family to pay their respects to the teenager.

In one of the posts he called her a slut. He also posted a video on YouTube, entitled Tasha the Tank Engine, showing the children's character Thomas the Tank Engine with Miss MacBryde's face.

Jo Belsey, prosecuting, said the family were "understandably outraged, disgusted and hurt".

In a statement read to the court, her father Andrew MacBryde said he "could not believe anyone could stoop to such depths" after his son told him of the online posts.

He added that Duffy's actions had "added to the horror of dealing with the death of their beautiful daughter".

The magistrates were also asked to consider three other cases when sentencing Duffy, who the court heard suffers with alcohol problems and has Asperger's syndrome.

He had also posted offensive messages about Lauren Drew, 14, of Gloucestershire, who was found dead after suffering a suspected epileptic seizure, Hayley Bates, 16, of Staffordshire, who died in a car crash, and Jordan Cooper, 14, who was stabbed to death in Northumberland.

On Mother's Day he posted a message on an online memorial page to Lauren reading: "Help me mummy, it's hot in hell".

Duffy also produced an image of Hayley with crosses on her eyes and red marks on her face. He also wrote explicit messages to Hayley's sister Heather.

The family of stabbing victim Jordan had also seen abusive messages directed at the youngster on an online memorial and a YouTube video defacing an image of the teenager.

Magistrates also gave Duffy an Asbo, banning him from using social networking sites for five years.

Outside court, Lauren's father Mark Drew said: "Lauren didn't deserve this.

"Seeing him in court was really hard. I was so angry.

"Lauren was my only daughter and I worshipped the ground she walked on.

"This person hid behind the computer screen with no feeling."

Mr Drew urged Facebook do do more to prevent the website being misused, adding that it was "a wonderful thing if used right".

Carol Gelder, Lauren's mother, told the BBC: "It was quite frustrating because we couldn't stop it. We didn't know how to stop this person.

"With the pain we were going through anyway we didn't anticipate that we'd have to deal with this as well.

"I remember going up lying next to her and just crying and thinking I can't protect her from this."

Lance Whiteford, mitigating, said Duffy had been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome at an early age and one of the characteristics was an inability to judge the reaction of others.

He said Duffy had also struggled with alcohol problems and lived "a miserable existence".

Duffy had no previous convictions but had received one caution for a similar offence.

Paul Warren, chairman of the magistrates' bench, said: "This case serves to illustrate the harm and damage done by the malicious misuse of social networking sites."

Sherry Adhami, of the charity Beatbullying, said: "Today's ruling is a monumental move towards bullying and cyberbullying being taken more seriously and sends a strong message to society that bullying, whether online or offline, is not going to be tolerated.

"It's time that stopping bullying at the source is placed higher on the government's agenda."

[brandonx76]

he kinda looks like a troll too

[RossValoryRocks]

Would never happen in the US...the ACLU would take the case immediately as a infringement of First Amendment rights.

[artist4perry]

Add a few warts, and more of a hunch back I can see troll. Never understand a person's desire to hide behind a computer and be anal to folks they don't even know. Must be a sick power trip.

[StevePerryHair]

He has Asperger's syndrome...and from what I know, a certain percentage of them end up with mental illnesses on top of it.

http://www.nami.org/Content/ContentGrou ... ndrome.htm

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th Edition), known as DSM IV, published in 1994, defines Asperger syndrome (AS) as marked by "severe and sustained impairment in social interaction" along with "restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior."

As a parent, what behaviors might I suspect as indicative of this disorder?

The more general traits that may be observed include awkwardness in social situations, an intense preoccupation with certain specific (often unusual) topics, self-directed orientation, a lack of understanding of social cues, and clumsiness caused by lack of motor coordination.

What is meant by "severe and sustained impairment in social interaction"?

A child with AS often has problems with normally developed verbal as well as non-verbal interaction tools. The child may, for example, not meet the eyes of a person speaking, seem to lack facial expressiveness, or not use normal body posturing and gestures. This affects social interaction in a negative way.

What are "restricted repetitive patterns of behavior"?

This kind of behavior is demonstrated by a preoccupation with certain actions or objects within a restricted range. Rather than applying an intense interest to a variety of subjects, the child with AS has interests of a rather narrow scope, like aliens or computers, bus routes or sports schedules, maps and charts.

This restricted repetitive behavior also is exhibited through a very rigid, non-negotiable adherence to specific nonfunctional routines or rituals. The child with this disorder may, for example, insist on walking a certain route to school without deviation. The child is inflexible about following a certain sequence of events--he or she may need to walk in a circle before sitting down or dress in a specific order. These nonfunctional routines can be of critical importance to the child with Asperger. Given a choice in clothing, the child might create what seems like a uniform that is worn day after day.

How is Asperger different from autism?

A child with Asperger experiences no clinically significant delay in cognitive development and does not experience a gross delay in developing language skills.

Other differences are:

Children with autism tend to think concretely and have much difficulty with symbolic thinking and pretend play, whereas Asperger children can be quite imaginative although themes may be repetitive.
Asperger children tend to have motor coordination difficulties not seen in autism.
What about relationships with peers?

The child may not make friends easily, or at all, and may not seem interested in sharing experiences or interests with those around him. For example, a child developing normally may show his artwork to people around him or bring a toy to his sister or brother to look at, but a child with AS will not as readily do so.

A child or adolescent with AS may seem unwilling or uninterested in responding to others in a socially or emotionally reciprocal way. For example, the child may ignore or seem to not notice when a person expresses affection toward him or prompts conversation. On the other hand, Asperger individuals may highly desire social interaction, but their poor social skills result in failure which can cause anxiety and depression.

What about the course of Asperger syndrome?

AS usually presents between ages 2 and 6 years, but is often not recognized until later. As far as doctors know, the disorder is present throughout the course of a person life. It has often been diagnosed as late as young adulthood.

Who gets Asperger?

Not much is known about how common the syndrome is because few studies have been done. Prevalence rates range are estimated to from .024 percent to .36 percent based on studies in Canada and Goteborg, Sweden, respectively.

Boys appear to have a higher incidence than girls at a 4:1 ratio. There is likely a genetic component which is thought by some to be related to the genetic deficit in autism. This is presently unclear.

How does one arrive at a diagnosis of Asperger?

The diagnosis is based on the presence of signs and symptoms in the DSM-IV. Differential diagnosis includes autism, complex learning disabilities, schizophrenia-spectrum disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

What treatments can be considered useful or helpful for the child or adolescent with Asperger?

Because securing educational and related services may be difficult due to the lack of knowledge about Asperger, it is important for the parents and clinician to work closely together to supply the patient and school personnel with the necessary information and help. Educational interventions are often necessary and should be individual accommodations to the persons needs. Because these students generally do well with memory tasks, teaching in a rote fashion may help the individual to retain the information presented.

Deficits in social skills may be remediated in small groups usually led by a mental health professional or speech and language pathologist.

Depending on the presence and extremity of associated symptoms, psycho-pharmacological interventions may help. Examples of associated symptoms that may be effectively treated with medication are hyperactivity, impulsivity, inattention, mood instability, temper outbursts, depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

Summary:

Early intervention and treatment is the single most important effort a parent can make to influence the outcomes for a child or adolescent with Asperger. Finding a clinician that can make the diagnosis of Asperger may be the more significant hurdle in getting appropriate treatment for your child.

[Don]

Like Bipolar and ADD, Asperger's syndrome seems to be the new catch all excuse for malicious and anti-social behavior.

[StevePerryHair]

Like Bipolar and ADD, Asperger's syndrome seems to be the new catch all excuse for malicious and anti-social behavior.

No, it's not the same. It's as real as autism, and there is no DOUBT in your mind when someone has it. It's very similar to autism in how they act. And they look normal, and can have IQ's that are fine, but it's obvious socially they have no friends. And some lose family support. Youd have to know someone with it to get it. It's not like someone being told they are bi-polar, though sometimes they occur together. Pretty sad so much of society disses REAL disorders just because some other things can be over diagnosed. Sadly, I know it's real, and obvious. It's why it's easy to diagnose when they are children. I've seen more than one person with it.

[artist4perry]

Like Bipolar and ADD, Asperger's syndrome seems to be the new catch all excuse for malicious and anti-social behavior.

No, it's not the same. It's as real as autism, and there is no DOUBT in your mind when someone has it. It's very similar to autism in how they act. And they look normal, and can have IQ's that are fine, but it's obvious socially they have no friends. And some lose family support. Youd have to know someone with it to get it. It's not like someone being told they are bi-polar, though sometimes they occur together. Pretty sad so much of society disses REAL disorders just because some other things can be over diagnosed. Sadly, I know it's real, and obvious. It's why it's easy to diagnose when they are children. I've seen more than one person with it.

My son has Asbergers. It does not make you do mean things to others. He struggles with knowing how to relate to people and getting social cues. He has trouble understanding empathy, and how to express it. They lack the ability to relate to others.

[Ehwmatt]

His conduct may be disgusting. But the fact that he was charged and convicted criminally in any country that claims to have even a semi-free legal system is even more disgusting.

[StevePerryHair]

Like Bipolar and ADD, Asperger's syndrome seems to be the new catch all excuse for malicious and anti-social behavior.

No, it's not the same. It's as real as autism, and there is no DOUBT in your mind when someone has it. It's very similar to autism in how they act. And they look normal, and can have IQ's that are fine, but it's obvious socially they have no friends. And some lose family support. Youd have to know someone with it to get it. It's not like someone being told they are bi-polar, though sometimes they occur together. Pretty sad so much of society disses REAL disorders just because some other things can be over diagnosed. Sadly, I know it's real, and obvious. It's why it's easy to diagnose when they are children. I've seen more than one person with it.

My son has Asbergers. It does not make you do mean things to others. He struggles with knowing how to relate to people and getting social cues. He has trouble understanding empathy, and how to express it. They lack the ability to relate to others.

I'm sorry. I know that has to be tough as a mom. I do think it can vary with the person. Some of them have mental illness too, as my NAMI link said. Even like scizophrenia...so the parts of the brain affected could influence that behavior too. I agree most are innocent, and almost child like. And don't know what appropriate socially. There is never 100% where everyone acts the same with every disorder though . Not all autistic children behave exactly the same.

[artist4perry]

Like Bipolar and ADD, Asperger's syndrome seems to be the new catch all excuse for malicious and anti-social behavior.

No, it's not the same. It's as real as autism, and there is no DOUBT in your mind when someone has it. It's very similar to autism in how they act. And they look normal, and can have IQ's that are fine, but it's obvious socially they have no friends. And some lose family support. Youd have to know someone with it to get it. It's not like someone being told they are bi-polar, though sometimes they occur together. Pretty sad so much of society disses REAL disorders just because some other things can be over diagnosed. Sadly, I know it's real, and obvious. It's why it's easy to diagnose when they are children. I've seen more than one person with it.

My son has Asbergers. It does not make you do mean things to others. He struggles with knowing how to relate to people and getting social cues. He has trouble understanding empathy, and how to express it. They lack the ability to relate to others.

I'm sorry. I know that has to be tough as a mom. I do think it can vary with the person. Some of them have mental illness too, as my NAMI link said. Even like scizophrenia...so the parts of the brain affected could influence that behavior too. I agree most are innocent, and almost child like. And don't know what appropriate socially. There is never 100% where everyone acts the same with every disorder though . Not all autistic children behave exactly the same.

True, but I doubt this guy should have been allowed near a computer by any family member if this is his recreational outlet. That is if it is something he could not help. Something tells me by the great lengths he went to to find these people, edit photos of them, and do the technical stuff he did to harass these folks, it makes me wonder if it is the disorder, or just meanness mixed with a disorder.

I don't allow my son to cop out when he does something wrong. Weather he truly understands at first that something he did is out of line or not I have always corrected him and explained why he could not do the wrong thing to people. My son goes through horrendous mood swings almost like clock work. He can be euphoric, or depressed at any given time. The down swings come with pity parties that don't quit. I don't allow him to indulge in them.

He is in college right now and is having to learn to deal with a roommate, sweet mates, and other students. He has a watchful big sister on campus keeping eye out for me. He needs normal interactions to teach him how to interact. He is going to a private Christian college that is small so these kids help each other out. It will be good for him to learn from other students.

[StevePerryHair]

Yes Ginger, but some with the disorder have high IQ's too, so they would be capable of using a computer. There are different extremes. If he was diagnosed just for court, I might be leery. But he was diagnosed as a child. There is one thing you need to consider too. Not every parent is equipped to deal with a child or young adult with this disorder. You are a wonderful caring parent. Not everyone is that lucky. Who knows how he was treated when he didn't behave the norm his whole life. I mean he could have had loving parents. Who knows. But it makes me wonder. They are often rejected and misunderstood. They said in the article he was leading a miserable existence? Or something like that? So that could account for the deviancy. They can't always control their impulses, even though that may know right from wrong.

[artist4perry]

Yes Ginger, but some with the disorder have high IQ's too, so they would be capable of using a computer. There are different extremes. If he was diagnosed just for court, I might be leery. But he was diagnosed as a child. There is one thing you need to consider too. Not every parent is equipped to deal with a child or young adult with this disorder. You are a wonderful caring parent. Not everyone is that lucky. Who knows how he was treated when he didn't behave the norm his whole life. I mean he could have had loving parents. Who knows. But it makes me wonder. They are often rejected and misunderstood. They said in the article he was leading a miserable existence? Or something like that? So that could account for the deviancy. They can't always control their impulses, even though that may know right from wrong.

I know where your coming from. He too could have been influenced by a mean person who made him think this is the norm, and that it is humorous. I have known special needs children who's family think it is funny to make them do and say awful things. But it should be stopped if someone is doing things like this, one way or another.

[StevePerryHair]

Yes Ginger, but some with the disorder have high IQ's too, so they would be capable of using a computer. There are different extremes. If he was diagnosed just for court, I might be leery. But he was diagnosed as a child. There is one thing you need to consider too. Not every parent is equipped to deal with a child or young adult with this disorder. You are a wonderful caring parent. Not everyone is that lucky. Who knows how he was treated when he didn't behave the norm his whole life. I mean he could have had loving parents. Who knows. But it makes me wonder. They are often rejected and misunderstood. They said in the article he was leading a miserable existence? Or something like that? So that could account for the deviancy. They can't always control their impulses, even though that may know right from wrong.

I know where your coming from. He too could have been influenced by a mean person who made him think this is the norm, and that it is humorous. I have known special needs children who's family think it is funny to make them do and say awful things. But it should be stopped if someone is doing things like this, one way or another.

I think that's what struck me with this story. I immediately thought, where is his family who is supposed to look out for him? Pretty sad he was in the state he was and an alcohol problem too. I feel it is a family's job, even when they are adults, when someone has a special need. It's tragic some people don't. And I sympathize. Because it's very hard on families. But if their own families aren't taking care of them, it'd be hard to find anyone else who cares enough to step in.

[artist4perry]

Yes Ginger, but some with the disorder have high IQ's too, so they would be capable of using a computer. There are different extremes. If he was diagnosed just for court, I might be leery. But he was diagnosed as a child. There is one thing you need to consider too. Not every parent is equipped to deal with a child or young adult with this disorder. You are a wonderful caring parent. Not everyone is that lucky. Who knows how he was treated when he didn't behave the norm his whole life. I mean he could have had loving parents. Who knows. But it makes me wonder. They are often rejected and misunderstood. They said in the article he was leading a miserable existence? Or something like that? So that could account for the deviancy. They can't always control their impulses, even though that may know right from wrong.

My son is smart, but not great at social skills. This guy may need someone to evaluate him, and help him understand why what he was doing is wrong.

[yulog]

Plenty of aggressive aspergers kids out there ( too many)

[artist4perry]

Plenty of aggressive aspergers kids out there ( too many)

And all this time you thought your behavior was normal huh yulog? LOL

[steveo777]

Plenty of aggressive aspergers kids out there ( too many)

And all this time you thought your behavior was normal huh yulog? LOL

People who have too much time on their hands usually have too much dick in their hands. I'm sure Yulog is a classic case!

[yulog]

Plenty of aggressive aspergers kids out there ( too many)

And all this time you thought your behavior was normal huh yulog? LOL

People who have too much time on their hands usually have too much dick in their hands. I'm sure Yulog is a classic case!

Said the man with almost 8000 posts in 2 years

By Steveo's logic, if i have too much dick in my hand that would mean he has a classic case of...........too much dick in his ass

[yulog]

Plenty of aggressive aspergers kids out there ( too many)

And all this time you thought your behavior was normal huh yulog? LOL

Whats normal behavior nowadays?

[Michigan Girl]

Perhaps he was punished w/hot sauce and cold showers and the
only way he knows how to relate is with cruelty, not that it's
right, but think about that!!

[Behshad]

Never understand a person's desire to hide behind a computer and be anal to folks they don't even know. Must be a sick power trip.

Must be the name !

[Behshad]

Perhaps he was punished w/hot sauce and cold showers and the
only way he knows how to relate is with cruelty, not that it's
right, but think about that!!

Or maybe not enough hot sauce/cold showers ?

[yulog]

Never understand a person's desire to hide behind a computer and be anal to folks they don't even know. Must be a sick power trip.

Must be the name !