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Judge to send anti-feminist twitter abusers to prison

Fullofsurprises

Two of the many people who abused feminist campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez last year, when she successfully led efforts to reverse the Bank of England's policy of having no women on British banknotes are to be sent to prison. She received so many threats that she ended up fleeing her home and going into hiding.

Criado-Perez today called for more education for young men about the issues surrounding sexism - she said it was terrible that a woman could be abused in the way she was for speaking publicly about an issue affecting women.

John Nimmo, 25, from South Shields, and Isabella Sorley, 23, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, pleaded guilty on Tuesday at Westminster magistrates court to abusing Criado-Perez online. Sorley was remanded in custody and Nimmo was bailed, both until 24 January, when they will be sentenced.

Sorley, who said she was "bored" and "off her face" when she sent the messages, has 21 previous convictions, mostly for being drunk and disorderly.

The district judge Howard Riddle warned that she would "almost inevitably" be sent to prison when he passed sentence on 24 January.

In a series of tweets, writing under a pseudonym, Sorley told Criado-Perez to "**** off and die you worthless piece of crap", adding "go kill yourself" and "rape is the last of your worries". Another of his messages said: "I've only just got out of prison and would happily do more time to see you berried!"

In a separate set of messages sent to Criado-Perez, the court heard, Nimmo said to her, "shut up bitch", and "ya not that gd looking to rape u be fine", followed by "I will find you [smiley face]" and then the message "rape her nice ass".

The court heard that Nimmo also targeted the Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy with the message: "The things I cud do to u [smiley face]", calling her "dumb blond bitch".

Alison Morgan, prosecuting, said that Criado-Perez had received abusive messages from 86 Twitter accounts including those accounts attributed to Nimmo and Sorley.

The court heard that Nimmo was a recluse whose only social interaction was online, on Facebook, Twitter and computer gaming. "The only time he leaves the house is to empty the bins," said Paul Kennedy, defending Nimmo. "He sits in the house with nothing to do, he claims benefits. He sits with a laptap, tablet and phone within touching distance at the end of the sofa."

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jan/07/jane-austen-banknote-abusive-tweets-criado-perez

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

Birkenhead

Fair enough. It's still ridiculous to complain that there aren't any women for the new banknotes (except our Head of State, of course). Once again equality between vaginas and penises for equality's sake is given priority over rewarding merit.

'I venture to say that the sum total of human happiness, knowledge, and achievement would have been almost unaffected if Sappho had never sung, if Joan of Arc had never fought, if Siddons had never played, and if George Eliot had never written.'

Reply 2

matt_g96

she campaigned to get women on banknotes...

who would take the time to actually notice this? better yet who actually cares about who is on a banknote.

Reply 3

uktotalgamer

I wish people would just calm down. I didn't agree with what she did. I didn't tell her to go top herself. How carried away do some people get, both male and female. If everyone just calmed the **** down this world would be a much better place. Talk, not war. What these two did is simply un-defendable.

Reply 4

username1221160

Good.

They've been plenty of silly incidents of people saying offensive but ultimately harmless things on twitter and getting arrested or visited by the police. But the level of abuse and threats in this case should be no more acceptable online than it would be in the street, particularly given how threatened she felt.

Reply 5

Are you Shaw?

it's the Internet people chat poo when they're allowed too

Reply 6

Huskaris

Whenever someone campaigns on the basis of sex they campaign against the basis of merit.

Reply 7

Apocrypha

Where is the free speech..

I also like how apparently to tell someone to 'go and die' is classed as a death threat?

I'd think 'Im gonna murder you' is what is called a death threat..

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 8

Fullofsurprises

Original post by Apocrypha

Where is the free speech..

I also like how apparently to tell someone to 'go and die' is classed as a death threat?

I'd think 'Im gonna murder you' is what is called a death threat..

Actually it appears (as far as I can tell from reports so far) that it's the rape threats in this case that got them busted. It's a little puzzling though, as there are apparently many more (some, according to reports, worse) who have not so far been charged.

Not many people would think it fine in a civilised society to be able to make threats of rape and other menaces in any communications method without some risk of punishment.

Reply 9

Birkenhead

Original post by Fullofsurprises

Even worse is surely to corrupt the principle of everyone being equal before the law by only prosecuting a tiny minority of suspects.

Reply 10

Apocrypha

Original post by Fullofsurprises

Did the accused actually say 'Im going to rape you'?

Reply 11

Huskaris

I've just looked in the news and one of the people in trouble for it is a girl!!! Lol!

Reply 12

username402722

They deserve prison for the threats and hateful things they wrote.

Reply 13

username1221160

Original post by Apocrypha

Did the accused actually say 'Im going to rape you'?

Yes, according to the article.

Reply 14

Fullofsurprises

Original post by Birkenhead

Even worse is surely to corrupt the principle of everyone being equal before the law by only prosecuting a tiny minority of suspects.

This seems to happen all too often - the most glaring example being the aftermath of the London riots, when a number of extremely unpleasant and violent incidents in which the offenders were filmed and the evidence damning nevertheless resulted in no prosecutions. I suppose the sad truth is that this is down to limits in things like CPS resources and prison places.

Reply 15

Jordooooom

Surely it's purely for the threats? Has nothing to do with being feminist. If they threatened to rape any one they would probably be punished

Reply 16

Apocrypha

Original post by Quantex

Yes, according to the article.

Yeh, I agree he should be jailed, he shoulda stuck to 'Pathetic worthless woman'

Says hes in and out of jail anyway, good for nothing might aswell drop him in a deep hole.

Reply 17

So Instinct

I didn't realise the Queen isn't a woman..

I have no sympathy for cretins who harass and send threats to other people. They deserve what they're sentenced too.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 18

manchesterunited15

Original post by Fullofsurprises

Another of his messages said: "I've only just got out of prison and would happily do more time to see you berried!"

Is that where they pelt strawberries at you or something

Reply 19

thunder_chunky

Original post by So Instinct

I didn't realise the Queen isn't a woman..

I have no sympathy for cretins who harass and send threats to other people. They deserve what they're sentenced too.