Man jailed for offensive Facebook comments about April Jones

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Don't you think that FOS has never been and will never be absolute? Remember our laws have always limited it in cases such as slander,libel, obscenity,sedition, blasphemy, treason etc. I am a realist and have accepted and welcome similar punishments for who abuse their free speech.

So what would you propose we do to the abusers of such laws? Remember people like Abu Hamza/Qatada are more extreme examples of abusers similar laws when they got arrested.

IMO there's no hope for the adults that already abuse it. IMO children should be taught about it at school and home from a young age. That way they grow up respecting it and other people. Although this would probably never work as children brought up in racist families ect will think it's ok.

Reply 41

Fuzzpig

I don't agree with the jokes, but it's terrible that he was jailed for them.

... Freedom of speech until you say something that someone in power doesn't agree with. His comments had no effect on the search for the child, they did not cause the child to be taken or to not be found... Why can't he air his (admittedly very distasteful) views?

There's such a disparity here anyway - people say much worse things and get away with it. I don't agree with making an example of people through the justice system.

Reply 42

tdawe

Unbelievable. I can't understand how someone can be jailed for a comment on Facebook. It makes me sad to be a British citizen.

Reply 43

bkeevin

Original post by Clare~Bear

Of course we would all love to live in a perfect world where people are respectful of each other... but we are not. Schools already tell children and their parents what is acceptable behaviour in society and what is not.

So what else do you think society can do to discourage the abuse of FOS? I personally would prefer fines to be issued in the less serious cases of such abuse before enprisonment is envisaged. These high profile cases will discourage alot of people from being nasty hence helping society become more tolerant.

Reply 44

mercikhan

If your child was kidnapped and murdered, and sick people made jokes about the event, would you argue for 'free speech, was a joke, chill out'? No you would not. Whoever defends this behaviour needs help

Reply 45

moorbre

Original post by bkeevin

So you want the state to restrict his freedom of expression(banning him from using facebook)?

This perhaps is better since he is still free to express his opinions but he should also be prepared to bear the drastic consequences if decides to be offensive! :biggrin:

I think that he should have been banned from facebook due to probably breaking one of their terms and conditions of use ( not sure, I haven't read them )

Reply 46

lightburns

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/09/matthew-woods-joking-april-jones-facebook-sickipedia

Well bugger. I know a few people who post Sickipedia jokes on their facebook. This is now criminal?!

I thought he had posted it on the family's facebook or something, which has gone through court in previous cases. This I agree shouldn't be allowed, as it's abusive and hounding the family. Posting it on your own facebook?

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 47

JamesNeedHelp2

If I remember correctly, there was this Muslim who made offensive comments about the British troops on Facebook a while back and he got jailed. Most people on TSR agreed with the sentencing. Why the double standards?

Reply 48

cl_steele

Aaaaah so this is what my taxes are spent on... how about they do something productive with it next time which pleases everyone like burning a huge pile of money? Same sort of resultat the end of the day.
Sending someone to jail for a flippant remark on facebook jesus christ, Stalin would be turning in his grave.

Reply 49

JGHunter

Freedom of speech has a function and a purpose, those purposes do not include protecting offensive jokes.

Freedom of Speech is defined and enshrined in British law, but people are wrong if they think everything is covered under Freedom of Speech. You may want it to be, but not everything is.

Whilst I think his imprisonment, when you consider a guy said that soldiers should burn in hell got off scot free (a long drawn out reason), is absurd, that is the law.

Why the hell did I get negged for stating the law? Dear Lord is this the STUDENT room or moron room?

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 50

Pixelated

Original post by kevin6767

So a guy gets jailed for this yet a guy who was denounced the country he lives in, made some disgusting comments about British soldiers and burnt poppies was let off today without a slap on the wrist.

Is a community order a slap on ths wrist, in your view? I'm not so sure. He also had his identity plastered all over the press, so most of the nation now think of him as a nob, and probably wish to cause him harm; which brings me on to my next point. The bloke who has been sent to jail for the facebook messages, has not only jail and a serious criminal record to contend with, but the issue of most of the country knowing his face, knowing what he said, and hating him. It is pretty harsh - but in light of all the racism and hatred posted online, maybe it will have a positive impact.

Reply 51

hamijack

Original post by electriic_ink

I was being sarcastic - nvm.
.

Ah, sorry. I was in full on rage mode :colondollar:

Reply 52

jon64

so if i post any offensive comments over the internet i could get jailed?

Reply 53

Wattsy

Original post by hamijack

That's crap. Who gets to decide what's GROSSLY offensive? Because to me it seems like the media If he'd made a joke about some other missing child who wasn't in the news then no-one would have cared. But simply because it's a cute little white girl who's missing and is a headline at the moment, it's deemed GROSSLY offensive. I've seen people make jokes about the Holocaust on Facebook. Where are their prosecutions? Isn't joking about the systematic slaughter of 11 million people more GROSSLY offensive than making a joke about one dead girl?

You'll find that the people who draw the line on what is grossly offensive and merely offensive are judges and they do so with in depth research and high level consideration.

Reply 54

wildrover

Meanwhile violent offenders walk free from court.

Reply 55

limetang

Original post by The_Last_Melon

You all seem to be missing the point:

"Matthew Woods was arrested for his own safety on Saturday"

You aren't arrested primarily for your own safety, you are arrested if you are believed to have committed a crime. Just because a side-effect of his arrest is his safety is irrelevant. If the intention was to keep this man safe then he wouldn't have been arrested he'd have been put into a protection system or something like that.

Reply 56

limetang

Original post by Wattsy

You'll find that the people who draw the line on what is grossly offensive and merely offensive are judges and they do so with in depth research and high level consideration.

I find it adorable that you think that's how our justice system works.

It isn't objective. This man was tried and convicted for ONE reason. To appease the public. This is an emotive issue (unsuprising considering it deals with the kidnapping and potential murder of a child). As such people get riled up if somebody makes offensive jokes like this. So the courts in an attempt to appease the riled up public make an example of this man which pleases people.

Reply 57

Wattsy

Original post by limetang

You're probably right, i'm a first year law student so my rose tinted spectacles are still firmly on. The points made about sickipedia and such are very valid though, I just suppose its less difficult to identify the culprit when their name, a wealth of personal information and a picture of themselves are there for all to see.

Thinking properly about it they should have probably given him a community service order or a fine as well as a talking to, so as not to do something to provoke national public outrage again.