Chris
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 | | Subject: Twitter troll jailed for 56 days after mocking tragic Bolton midfielder Muamba Fri Mar 30, 2012 4:03 am | |
| What do you think, should someone be jailed for spewing hatred online? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2120999/Fabrice-Muamba-Twitter-troll-Liam-Stacey-jailed-abusing-Bolton-midfielder.html#ixzz1qJiowuQx - Quote :
- Twitter troll jailed for 56 days after mocking tragic Bolton midfielder Muamba
By Sportsmail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 05:13 EST, 27 March 2012 | UPDATED: 10:17 EST, 27 March 2012
Jailed: Liam Stacey is led away in handcuffs
A student who mocked Fabrice Muamba on Twitter after he collapsed during a match has been jailed for inciting racial hatred.
Liam Stacey, 21, provoked revulsion with comments made while the Bolton star still lay on the pitch.
The 23-year-old midfielder was left fighting for his life after suffering a cardiac arrest during an FA Cup tie on March 17.
Horrified fans watched live on TV as he fell to the ground during the quarter-final clash at Tottenham.
Police were inundated with complaints as members of the public reported the student's comments.
Stacey, a Swansea University biology undergraduate, was quickly tracked down and arrested.
Last week he admitted inciting racial hatred when he appeared briefly at Swansea Magistrates' Court and he was jailed for 56 days at the same court.
The first of Stacey's messages began with 'LOL (laugh out loud). **** Muamba. He's dead!!!'
A number of people took him to task for his views and he responded with a further string of offensive comments aimed at other Twitter users.
Stacey was close to tears during his appearance before magistrates last week.
Muamba's recovery over the past 10 days has been described as 'miraculous'.
He remains in intensive care in hospital where his condition is described as serious but stable.
Stacey broke down as he was taken away in handcuffs to a holding cell beneath Swansea Magistrates' Court.
He was led past the public gallery, where he was briefly embraced by friends and his parents as he shook with emotion.
Moments earlier, District Judge John Charles told him: 'In my view there is no alternative to an immediate prison sentence.'
He said that when Muamba collapsed, 'it was not the football world who was praying for him... everybody was praying for his life'.
He added that abusive remarks made to Stacey 'via a social networking site were instigated as a result of vile and abhorrent comments made as a result of a young man who was fighting for his life'
Earlier, Stacey, dressed in a smart brown suit with matching tie, was seen to visibly tremble as the prosecutor argued that the case should be sent to Crown Court for sentencing.
Louise Barron gave a summary of the case against Stacey, which included reading out a series of racist comments he posted.
She said that, when arrested, Stacey made an immediate admission of his guilt and said he had been drunk at the time.
The court heard that, on the day in question, he had been out watching Wales's rugby grand slam victory.
He had drunk up to eight pints of beer and described his drunkenness as an eight on a scale of one to 10.
Ms Barron went on to argue that the case was so serious that the maximum penalty of six months in prison available in a Magistrates' Court was not enough.
'The Crown would argue that the matter should be committed to the Crown Court for sentence,' she said.
She added that the 'gratuitous, persistent abuse'and the "racist element" meant the case should be dealt with at a higher level.
Gareth Jones, defending, said Stacey 'is completely ashamed of his behaviour that evening'.
He said that reaction to his comments had been widespread, he was no longer welcome at the university campus and he 'feared reprisals'.
He insisted that Stacey, who has an otherwise clean character, is not a racist and has friends from other ethic backgrounds.
'On the night in question his comments were vile, he admits that,' he said.
He added that, although the comments portray him as a 'bigot', he was actually 'a kind and caring person', who felt 'genuine remorse'.
He asked the judge to leave Stacey, a third year biology student, at liberty to allow him to take final exams.
He said he was doing 'extremely well' on his course and had ambitions to become a forensic scientist.
He added that that was now very unlikely and he would already 'pay dearly for the rest of his life' for what he had done.
In jailing Stacey, the judge said he took into account his early plea and the fact that he had been 'in drink' at the time.
But the revulsion that his comments triggered was both widespread and deeply felt.
Other undergraduates at Swansea campaigned for him to be dismissed from the university completely.
He is still the subject of an internal investigation.
A spokesman said today: 'The student remains suspended from the university pending the conclusion of our disciplinary proceedings.'
Stacey's sentence prompted a heated debate on Twitter.
Among those applauding the judge's decision was Lord Sugar, who tweeted: 'good job, be warned idiots'.
Others claimed the decision was too harsh given the student's previously clean criminal record.
But Jim Brisbane, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Cymru-Wales, said racist language was inappropriate in any setting and through any media.
He added: "We hope this case will serve as a warning to anyone who may think that comments made online are somehow beyond the law."
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Cheaps
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| | Subject: Re: Twitter troll jailed for 56 days after mocking tragic Bolton midfielder Muamba Fri Mar 30, 2012 7:06 am | |
| Twitter is the devil!!
I'm confused though, his first post/tweet was careless, cruel and downright disrespectful. It doesn't say what his other tweets had said, but prison time? Over tweets? That's insane. | |
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Nystyle709
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| | Subject: Re: Twitter troll jailed for 56 days after mocking tragic Bolton midfielder Muamba Fri Mar 30, 2012 9:27 am | |
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CeCe
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| | Subject: Re: Twitter troll jailed for 56 days after mocking tragic Bolton midfielder Muamba Fri Mar 30, 2012 9:28 am | |
| Don't like what he said but being an asshole is not an arrestable offense. If it were I got a list. Way overboard on this one. The only thing that should have happened to him was a large unfollowing. | |
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Shale
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| | Subject: Re: Twitter troll jailed for 56 days after mocking tragic Bolton midfielder Muamba Fri Mar 30, 2012 11:40 am | |
| I was reading this article with no dateline (place in the world) thinking NO WAY! If this arrest was made in the US, the ACLU would be all over it.
Then realized it was in England - where they may not have a guarantee of the right to speak freely. (Yes, even hate speech is protected in this country)
Two months in jail for the infraction seems a bit harsh, maybe a couple of weeks or less than a month woulda been more inline for a drunken young man's brash insensitivity. But, that is England's problem. Not like he fatally shot someone and walked free like we have here. | |
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