Sky News: McCann Trolls: Police Won't Take Action

McCann Trolls: Police Won't Take Action

Police say some of the messages sent to the family were "extremely distasteful", but none "constituted a prosecutable offence".

11:26, UK, Friday 01 May 2015

No further action will be taken against dozens of people accused of directing online abuse at the family of Madeleine McCann, Sky sources have revealed.

Anti-abuse campaigners had compiled a dossier of names after becoming alarmed at the threatening nature of some tweets, posts and messages on online forums directed at Kate and Gerry McCann.

The trolls believe - despite no evidence - the McCanns had some involvement in the disappearance of their daughter in Portugal in 2007.

In a letter to the campaigners, Leicestershire Police Assistant Chief Constable Roger Bannister said: "While finding that much of the material was extremely distasteful and unpleasant in nature, it was determined that none of the messages/postings constituted a prosecutable offence."

Sky News Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said: "Leicestershire Police had spent about eight months investigating the dossier, which effectively was a catalogue of abuse tweeted and posted online elsewhere by antagonists of Kate and Gerry McCann.

"There were dozens of such individuals identified in the dossier. They had threatened violence and even death against the couple."

The online posts included words like petrol and matches, handcuffs, shooting, torture and lynching, Brunt said.

He added: "Leicestershire Police have decided after consulting with Crown Prosecutors that none of these postings constitutes a breach of the Harassment Act, the Malicious Communications Act or the Telecommunications Act."

Brunt said those who compiled the dossier have reacted with "absolute dismay" at the decision.

"They say it is tantamount to giving the trolls, as they call them, 'carte blanche' to carry on abusing the McCanns," he said.

"Although we haven't heard directly from the McCanns, I'm sure they too will be astonished, because when Sky News revealed this dossier back in September last year, Gerry McCann said such trolls should be prosecuted."

An absolutely astounding decision by the police - I simply cannot imagine what they are thinking about.

"There were dozens of such individuals identified in the dossier. They had threatened violence and even death against the couple."

The online posts included words like petrol and matches, handcuffs, shooting, torture and lynching, Brunt said.

The Amaral supporters are NO different to the scum that support ISIS, White supremacists, neo-nazis or any other bottom-feeding scum.

And yes, they will indeed take this as carte blanche to take their hate campaign against Madeleine's family to another level. Scum like them always do.

Successful prosecutions have been brought against online trolls in the UK.
In September, Peter Nunn, who sent abusive Twitter messages to Labour MP Stella Creasy, was jailed for 18 weeks.

The abuse started after Ms Creasy supported a successful campaign to put the image of Jane Austen on the £10 note.

Two other people who sent abusive tweets to Ms Creasy, as well as fellow banknote campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez, were also given jail sentences last year.

Isabella Sorley, 23, was jailed for 12 weeks, and John Nimmo for eight. They both were ordered to pay £400 compensation to both victims.

In June, Jake Newsome, from Leeds, who wrote an offensive Facebook post about Ann Maguire, a teacher stabbed to death in her classroom, was jailed for six weeks.  

urcrazy wrote:
Some git called Mike McGowan spamming all over fb with this:

Someone really needs to get to the twins and tell them the truth before they're brainwashed. If they haven't been already. Don't they have any aunts, uncles, grandparents or cousins who want to blow the whistle? Surely the scumbags couldn't have bribed their whole family, could they? Or are they like loads of other naive fools who believe every lie these scumbags spin every minute of every single fekcing day! I honestly didn't think it was possible to hate someone you've never met, but I really do hope they both die a very slow and painful death. How the F@ do they sleep at night?

Online carlymichelle
Re: Leicestershire Police confirm no prosecutions over McCann abuse dossier.
« Reply #9 on: Today at 12:20:00 PM »
its common sense really older people dont like the internet because it allows freedom of speech so why do they read the stuff that upsets them

David Buff Moore ® ‏@buffmoore 4m4 minutes ago
#mccann getting £350k payout absolute joke pair is the deserve to be burnt alive.

Jim Gamble @JimGamble_INEQE · 2 hrs 2 hours ago
A good day for #Trolls a bad day for #Policing & a worse day for #Victims
Lots of questions for @leicspolice & @cpsuk
http://news.sky.com/story/1475870/mccann-trolls-will-not-be-prosecuted …

gojam@gojam_i_am
1/2 @JimGamble_INEQE @leicspolice @cpsuk It's a decision that will lead to worse online & inevitably 'real world' crime. It is only natural

gojam ‏@gojam_i_am 1h1 hour ago
2/2 @JimGamble_INEQE @leicspolice @cpsuk that if victims have no protection in law then escalation will occur. Sad but true.

Jim Gamble retweeted
Henry Platten @Henry_Platten · 12 mins 12 minutes ago
.@JimGamble_INEQE Victims need support and confidence that their distress will be given a voice

Shy Keenan ‏@ShyKeenan 3h3 hours ago
.@LeaningLeft46 @leicspolice the #McCann trolls have piled injustice upon injustice ..distracting the focus of bringing a missing child home

Sonia Poulton @SoniaPoulton
@ShyKeenan @LeaningLeft46 @leicspolice #mccann always supported you Shy but this is just ill-informed nonsense. Disappointing.

Shy Keenan @ShyKeenan · 1 hr 1 hour ago
... can't really post a diff view without the abusive #McCann #Trolls mobbing the feed ...only serves to frighten most peeps silent I guess?

Shy Keenan @ShyKeenan · 25 mins 25 minutes ago
#McCann #Trolls ..they'll never convince me that making death threats 'to anyone' is reasonable debate, it is a crime, the police should act

Zora ‏@real_zm_ 3 mins3 minutes ago
@ShyKeenan oh bog off and read the police files before insulting us with your ignorance #mccann

Sonia Poulton@SoniaPoulton
@ShyKeenan @LeaningLeft46 @leicspolice #mccann always supported you Shy but this is just ill-informed nonsense. Disappointing.

Campaigners 'dismayed' as McCann trolls escape action

POLICE will take no action against twisted internet trolls who targeted the parents of Madeleine McCann.

By Jerry Lawton / Published 2nd May 2015

Campaigners gave detectives a dossier of hundreds of threatening tweets, posts and messages directed at Kate McCann, 47, and husband Gerry, 46.

Despite no evidence, many accused the couple of having some involvement in their three-year-old daughter’s disappearance from their holiday apartment in Portugal in 2007.

The Leicestershire force spent eight months probing the messages, some threatening violence and death.

But Assistant Chief Constable Roger Bannister said: “While finding much of the material was extremely distasteful and unpleasant... it was determined that none of the messages/postings constituted a prosecutable offence.”

Campaigners who complained were “dismayed” and the McCanns declined to comment.

But a pal said: “The police have made their decision not to prosecute, whether it’s right or wrong.

“It’s their decision along with the Crown Prosecution Service.”

Brenda Leyland, 63, of Burton Overy, Leics, killed herself in October after she attacked the McCanns on Twitter and was then exposed as a troll.

scoobydoo » Sat May 02, 2015 8:50 pm
David buff Moore wrote a comment, and published it via twitter, stating that they should be burnt alive. But apparently that's OK because its his opinion. So saying people should be raped, murdered, tortured, put in gas chambers is OK apparently. By this fools logic its on to write that Jewish people should be murdered, because its just an opinion. Statements like these are not opinion, they are threatening statements with a whining but its my opinion added on.

Opinions are things like "you look like ian Brady and Myra hindleys love child" or " the only difference between you and an ape is that an ape can be taught", not that person should be burnt alive.

Ironic that this person apparently worked for camp america for three seasons. So its wrong to eat dinner fifty metres away from your sleeping children for twenty minutes, but OK to dump them for weeks to be looked after by underqualified strangers who think its OK to state a couple should be burnt alive. Great advert for american summer camps and camp america.

Douglas Hall @prophonics
#mccann Terrible news for Goncalo, lets hope a tragic accident befalls the McCanns and they die.
Reply

Douglas Hall
@prophonics
#mccann A plea to Gerry and Kate, please die.

Re: Madeleine McCann's parents unable to attend 8th anniversary of daughters' disappearance as her grandfather is ill
Post PeterMac

Keeping their heads well down !
Not surprising really, given the backlash after the trial.
Not even in Rothley. I wonder if the twins are at home, alone, with the doors unlocked . . .

So go for the sympathy vote, - illness, relative, and religion. The story has the lot.

It could almost become a Country and Western Song.

My granny drowned in the grotto at Lourdes,
A Hunchback pushed her in  

Re: McParents miss 8th anniversary
Post Andrew Today
Gone into hiding by the looks of it.

All going wrong for them. Rightly so and great to see.

What's the next excuse for Kate to miss that cycle ride thingy.

Cristobell Author retweeted
Moondamp_Roses @Moondamp_Roses · 3 hrs 3 hours ago
@SoniaPoulton Kate #McCann so driven to find Madeleine yet won't attend the Memorial Service for her http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/madeleine-mccanns-parents-unable-attend-5632585 …

Stacey King Love the news that they couldn't even spare a hour of there time to turn up to their daughters 8th year anniversary! You mccanns make my skin crawl you pair of bas*ards

Stephen Farrant At least we know that it's not another lie about her father suffering from Parkinsons disease, because for some inexplicable reason she had her fathers tablets with her in PDL.

Whiterose » Tue May 05, 2015 6:32 am
Poor man, I remember Kate saying it was terrible to see her Dad sobbing when he arrived in Portugal.

He's had to suffer Parkinson Disease as well as the loss of his beloved Granddaughter. Not only this but has put up with all the trolls nasty goings on.

What must it be like to suddenly lose one of your Grand children whom you loved and cherished? Not knowing what has happened to her? It must be so painful for the poor man. Then having to hear what has been going on on the internet, everything that has been said about his only child Kate and his son in law.

These trolls have made it hell on earth for him, now they are laughing and mocking and saying he is not ill, for god sake show some compassion if you can you brainless morons.