Man jailed for Facebook Posts

A man who posted "despicable" comments on his Facebook page about the missing five-year-old April Jones has been jailed for 12 weeks.

Matthew Woods, 19, from Chorley, Lancashire, made derogatory posts about April and missing Madeleine McCann after getting the idea from Sickipedia, a website that "trades in sick jokes".

Among his comments was: "I woke up this morning in the back of a transit van with two beautiful little girls, I found April in a hopeless place."

Another read: "Who in their right mind would abduct a ginger kid?"

Others stated: "I love April Jones" and "Could have just started the greatest Facebook argument ever. April Fools, Who Wants Maddie?"

He also wrote comments of a sexually explicit nature about April, who went missing last week from near her home in Machynlleth, mid-Wales.

Woods, who is unemployed, was arrested for his own safety on Saturday night and was remanded in custody before his appearance at Chorley magistrates court on Monday, where he pleaded guilty to sending a message or other matter that is grossly offensive by means of a public electronic communications network.

The chairman of the bench, Bill Hudson, said Woods's comments were so serious and "abhorrent" that he deserved the longest sentence they could pass, less a third, to give credit for his early guilty plea.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/oct/08/april-jones-teenager-jailed-facebook

I agree with him being jailed. He is a disgusting SOB

 

What a series piece of (*)(*)(*)(*) he is, but jail time?

 

It's pretty obnoxious.

But I have seen even worse.

About a year ago, a friend found an upload that was a vid mock up of the incident, and done is a sick way.

Sure, it was just people playing the roles, but it was really really nasty, under the circs.

We sent it to all the appropriate places that we could think of, suggesting that it at least be removed, min.

They were not interested.

 

Yeah, I don't really see that doing that as a help.

You may as well put a dome over society, and bars all around, if you want to jail people for obnoxious remarks.

Or obnoxious 'jokes'.

 

I couldn't agree more. Note this happened in the UK, where they have a somewhat different attitude for such things, and that he was arrested for his own "protection", which he probably needed.

 

Jailing people for stupid comments? Really? Thats the world you want to live in?


What you need is to spend a few months in Saudi Arabia.

 

As far as I can see it was *jokes* lifted from a site.

Sickedpedia or something.

And they were tasteless, in the extreme.

But barely worthy of costing the tax payer money over, imo.

Plus, where does it end,and who decides what and when something becomes in bad taste?

Should this comedian be in prison?

[video=youtube;gzV6fpSnkh0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzV6fpSnkh0[/video]

 

I don't agree with the jail time but I wouldn't be upset in the slightest had someone taken it upon themselves to teach the little (*)(*)(*)(*) some respect.

I read this morning that murder charges were laid against the man they had in custody. Shame they weren't able to find the little girl alive, having your kid snatched is a parent's worst nightmare, just freaking terrible.

 

It must be, truly terrible.

But he did not do that.

Just made some v crass jokes on his own FB page.

As silly as they were, who wants to live in a society in which someone can decide what a crass joke is, and jail them for it?

That is even more stoopid imo.

 

I never had a problem in Saudi Arabia. Did you?

 

Would they NOT have jailed someone for this is SA, Margot?

 

Facebook is intoxicanting stuff. Facebook is already part of the constitution. xD It's a shame for the humanity.

 

I agree, the guy shouldn't be jailed. They should have just barred him from making comments on the page.

 

Yeah.

That would have sufficed.

It costs about £1500 a week to keep someone is jail here.

All in.

He will be out in six weeks, not serving the 12.

What a waste of money, and what a total hysterial reaction, to crass comments.

 

Snakestretcher

What happened to the free speech to one of the countries of the world with the most beautiful literature and language?

Shame, Shame.

England is going to (*)(*)(*)(*).

 

It got taken away.

By curtain twitchers.

At all levels.

Not that I am defending the comments on this guy's FB, but really, it is absurd to have put him in jail.

But yeah, we don't do free expression here..http://www.politicalforum.com/current-events/269879-private-property-free-expression.html

 

Agreed, the words were distasteful, but the arrest and jail time is even worse.

I weep for England. It's gone to history.

 

They just make this crap up as they go along.

Keeps the lawyers happy, makes them money.

Meantime, I could cite you cases right now, in which people have been found guilty of a sex offence, or even trying to groom minors on FB, and they got a community service order.

Who is more of a danger?

Some young guy that makes crass jokes on FB, or an adult grooming kids, on FB?

The law is an ass, as they say..

 

Also.

The action has simply drawn MORE attention to the original comments, not less.

How is that productive?

None of the families of those involved would have been on his FB friends list.

So, as crass as the comments were, they would be unaware.

Now they are aware.

Well done for hurting them more.....

 

What are they charging him with?

 

Wait, but isn't he a hero for free speech now? What gives? Where are his praises for his bravery in defending free speech?

Or is he... Responsible for the (*)(*)(*)(*) that came out of his mouth? Figuratively speaking, of course. Since he typed it out.

 

He did.

But as I have said, they have drawn more attention to the comments and jokes, by their heavy handed response.

And it has cost.

For what?

What has it actually achieved?

 

He serves as a warning lesson to the next despicable scuzball who wants to post similarily abhorrent messages. And maybe the jerk will actually reform himself.

 

He's more likely to make some criminal contacts, and do something worse, next time.

And the cost cannot be justified.

And does that means that every bad taste joke should lead to the same?

What if, in theory, half a mill FB users copied and used his same jokes(sic)?

What then?

 

Is this charge he has slander? or foul language?

I mean whats the deal