Reading Man Jailed Over Internet Abuse

A Reading man has been jailed for 18 weeks for internet trolling, and has also been given an order banning him from using social networking sites for five years.

25-year-old Sean Duffy mocked a dead teenager who had jumped in front a train by posting offensive remarks on a page dedicated to her memory, and creating a YouTube parody of Thomas the Tank with the deceased girl’s face in place of Thomas.

The Guardian newspaper reports that Duffy pleaded guilty to “two counts of sending malicious communications,” and added that he must tell police about any phones he buys that can provide internet access.

Unemployed Duffy, who said he did not know any of his victims, pleaded guilty to two counts of sending malicious communications relating to Natasha.

He asked for three other cases of Facebook trolling – posting offensive messages on the internet – to be taken into consideration when he appeared before magistrates in Reading, Berkshire