Troll jailed for racist comment

[bodie]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2121003/Liam-Stacey-sent-prison-offensive-tweet-Fabrice-Muamba.html
Off to jail in cuffs, student who tweeted abuse about heart failure footballer Fabrice Muamba

    Swansea University student pleaded guilty to a racially-aggravated public order offence to incite violence and will spend up to 56 days behind bars
    21-year-old's initial message on Twitter was posted just moments after Muamba had collapsed
    Biology undergraduate admitted to police he had sent the tweets after getting drunk watching Wales v France in the Six Nations rugby match
    Bolton and Tottenham have replayed the FA Cup match that was called off when Muamba's heart stopped

By Luke Salkeld

PUBLISHED: 10:17, 27 March 2012 | UPDATED: 09:23, 28 March 2012

    Comments (761)
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A student who posted a series of racist comments on Twitter following footballer Fabrice Muamba’s cardiac arrest has begun a prison sentence of 56 days.

Liam Stacey, 21, caused widespread revulsion by reacting to Muamba’s mid-game collapse by writing: ‘LOL [laughing out loud], **** Muamba. He’s dead!!! #haha.’ He responded to criticism of that message with vile racist tweets.

The messages were forwarded to the police by several members of the social network, including former England striker Stan Collymore, himself a victim of abuse on Twitter.
Shame: Liam Stacey is led away in handcuffs outside Swansea Magistrates Court

Shame: Liam Stacey is led away in handcuffs outside Swansea Magistrates Court

Stacey initially claimed his account had been accessed by somebody else, but later pleaded guilty to racially aggravated harassment. He was sent to prison to ‘reflect the public outrage’ at his comments.
 
More...

    Tottenham 3 Bolton 1: Ryan mighty! Nelsen, Bale and Saha send Spurs to Wembley
    Uniting for Fabrice! Tottenham and Bolton show solidarity for Muamba at replay of abandoned game
    Heart specialist doubts if Muamba will be able to play football again

As he spent his first night behind bars, the two teams most shaken by Muamba's collapse replayed the fixture that was called off when the midfielder came close to death.

Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton Wanderers met again at White Hart Lane, with the home team cruising to a 3-1 victory.

It means Muamba's club are now out of the FA Cup, but this hardly seemed to matter to the fans and players treating the match as a chance to pay tribute to him.
Stacey, seen arriving at the court earlier in the morning, posted a series of vile tweets about footballer Fabrice Muamba

Stacey, seen arriving at the court earlier in the morning, posted a series of vile tweets about footballer Fabrice Muamba

At the ground where the 23-year-old's heart stopped, his teammate Sam Ricketts was seen to wipe a tear from his eye before kick-off. It was a difficult return for the entire Bolton squad, and manager Owen Coyle commended them for their bravery.

Players from both sides wore T-shirts bearing messages of thanks to those who supported Muamba, while the whole of the Tottenham stadium erupted in applause for him.

Stacey, meanwhile, faces expulsion from Swansea University. The third-year biology student had hoped to become a forensic scientist. Describing his tweets, prosecutor Louise Barron told the court: ‘The offence is clearly racially aggravated.

‘There was sustained and gratuitous racism. These were unprovoked comments and persistent abuse. The recipients were disgusted.’

Jailing the student at Swansea Magistrates’ Court, District Judge John Charles said: ‘Not just the footballer’s family, not just the footballing world, but the whole world were literally praying for Muamba’s life. Your comments aggravated this situation.

‘I have no choice but to impose an immediate custodial sentence to reflect the public outrage at what you have done.’

Stacey made his comments about the Bolton Wanderers midfielder while celebrating the Welsh rugby team’s Six Nations grand slam victory earlier this month.

The judge added: ‘You committed this offence while you were drunk and it is clear you immediately regretted it.

'But you must learn how to handle your alcohol better.’

Stacey, from Pontypridd, South Wales, told police following his arrest at his student home in Swansea: ‘I was at the bar when I heard what had happened to Muamba.

'I don’t know why I posted [the comments]. I’m not racist and some of my friends are from different cultural backgrounds.’

He later sent a text message to a friend saying: ‘I said something about Muamba that I shouldn’t have and tweeted back to some people who abused me.

'Getting police on me now which isn’t good at all.’

Another read: ‘Been bawling my eyes out on the phone to my mother for the last hour, really can’t be dealing with this.’

Applause: Everybody clapped for Muamba at the start of the match (and below)

Applause: Everybody clapped for Muamba at the start of the match (and below)
muamba

Gareth Jones, defending, said Stacey ‘does not bear [Muamba] any grudge and is glad he is making a good recovery’.

He continued: ‘My client simply lost his head and posted these disgusting comments to the bitter shame of himself and his parents.

'For a moment of madness, his career has now gone.’

Stacey’s father Neale, 49, and mother Hayley, 46, were visibly shocked when the details of his comments were read aloud yesterday.

Solidarity: Bolton's Nigel Reo-Coker (left) and Tottenham's Jermain Defoe shake hands

Solidarity: Bolton's Nigel Reo-Coker (left) and Tottenham's Jermain Defoe shake hands

Jim Brisbane, chief crown prosecutor for CPS Cymru-Wales, said: ‘Racist language is inappropriate in any setting and through any media.

'We hope this case will serve as a warning to anyone who may think that comments made online are somehow beyond the law.’

Muamba is said to be continuing to make good progress at the London Chest Hospital, where he was visited by his Bolton teammates ahead of their rescheduled match against Tottenham.

The game was abandoned on March 17 following Muamba’s collapse.

Upsetting: Fabrice Muamba's is treated by medical staff on Saturday after collapsing. A court heard that Liam Stacey, 21, posted mocking tweets as the midfielder was treated on the pitch

Upsetting: Fabrice Muamba is treated by medical staff after collapsing. Liam Stacey, 21, posted mocking tweets as the midfielder was treated on the pitch

'God is in control': Shauna Magunda, right, Fabrice Muamba's fiancee urged her Twitter followers to keep the Bolton player in their prayers as he fights for lifeHappier time: Shauna Magunda, right, Fabrice Muamba's fiancee, has urged fans to keep the Bolton player in their prayers as he continues to recover from a life-threatening condition



I think it is crazy.   Lets jail anyone for saying nasty things - eh..the whole country would be behind bars.

[BruceCM]

Well, most people manage the 'free speech doesn't mean...' reasoning, so I don't know how you'd argue for proper 'free speech'. There never has been & never will be proper 'free speech', though. lols

[MutieTom]

This is him, looks very mischeivous.

[bodie]

I don't think this is just about free speech.  I think it is just silly and lacks common sense to jail a student, who is doing very well in his degree, over some comments he made about a footballer who happens to be black when he was very drunk. 

He could quite possibly lose his place at uni,  and then what things is he going to learn in jail?  What sort of person will he 'turn out' like?

[MutieTom]

I think the whole thing of the media and politicians even noticing trolls is dumb as anything.

I saw Cameron in the Houses of P going on about how terrible facebook trolls who admired terrorists were and how he would stop it...the country's falling apart and he's got time to moderate facebook trolls?  Lets have some priority.  Most trolls are harmless in real life.

[BruceCM]

I don't think this is just about free speech.  I think it is just silly and lacks common sense to jail a student, who is doing very well in his degree, over some comments he made about a footballer who happens to be black when he was very drunk. 

He could quite possibly lose his place at uni,  and then what things is he going to learn in jail?  What sort of person will he 'turn out' like?

I'm not arguing the other side, Bodie but he's unlikely to goto that bad a prison or learn anything 'useful' (in criminal terms) in there in 50 odd days. Sure, it seems OTT & all that; it's not up to me!

[Frolic_Fun]

One of my Lecturers went on about how stupid this is. At most the guy should've got a fine.

On a similar note, the whole recent "attack" on trolls etc. is only really a cover to bring in OTT internet laws, in my opinion. The recent BBC documentary comes into mind, despite all it's misinformation. Trolling according to the BBC is personally attacking others with your own views. Sadly that isn't true, trolling is PRETENDING to have the views in order to cause controversy, ie. pretending to be a hardcore christian in an athiest forum.

It's really ridiculous over in the UK, examples were trolling got people jailed for up to 18 weeks. The way they're going about it is almost if it's worse than rape, in a sense. I think people need to fucking grow up and not be such sensitive arseholes.

[Al Swearegen]

I don't feel sorry for him. However I do think that the reason for the punishm,ent is more about being seen to do the "right thing". If teh target for his abuse was a local black kid there would not have been the jail time. It was someone famous and his notoriety in this fame and ifluence made the crime so much worse according to the public. Are we all equal under the law?

[BruceCM]

It really needs to put the blame for violent actions where it belongs, entirely on the shoulders of the person doing such! Might as well throw that in here, too.

I don't feel sorry for him. However I do think that the reason for the punishm,ent is more about being seen to do the "right thing". If teh target for his abuse was a local black kid there would not have been the jail time. It was someone famous and his notoriety in this fame and ifluence made the crime so much worse according to the public. Are we all equal under the law?

Sorry, we never have been 'equal' under the law, Al, not like that; are you, down there? 

[Al Swearegen]

It really needs to put the blame for violent actions where it belongs, entirely on the shoulders of the person doing such! Might as well throw that in here, too.

I don't feel sorry for him. However I do think that the reason for the punishm,ent is more about being seen to do the "right thing". If teh target for his abuse was a local black kid there would not have been the jail time. It was someone famous and his notoriety in this fame and ifluence made the crime so much worse according to the public. Are we all equal under the law?

Sorry, we never have been 'equal' under the law, Al, not like that; are you, down there? 

It is the theory vs practice. Here not at all.

[bodie]

I was just about to launch into a slanderous attack on David Cameron,  but,  i better refrain.... in case they come and get me! 

[bodie]

Hit the nail on the head there Al,  if it were a normal black kid we would not be talking about jail.

And where did 'violence' come into this?  We are talking about words on twitter,  there was no violence involved.

He didn't hurt anyone,  only perhaps feelings.  I think as more and more of the general population use the internet, we are going to have to now put up with OTT policing of it too.

I do feel somewhat sorry for the bloke - well, i will if he loses his uni place.  It could affect him for the rest of his life.  Just some silly drunk comment.  Ridiculous.

Jail should only be used in the case of persistent offending.  I would also argue the crime would have to be violent, and they would have to be deemed as a danger to the public.

This guy is just a kid.  A silly drunk kid. The only danger he would represent to the public is puking on them outside the off licence.

[Adam]

Replied to this more on zomg, but what annoys me most is the double standards and the way this is all being done because it was muamba and not just a regular guy. how many people online have been attacked and had really shit things said to/about them? would the people who attacked us end up in prison too? would they fuck. (not that I think they should do btw, I don't. but it shouldn't be one rule for famous people and another for everyone else)

I don't think being an asshole or making disgusting jokes should be illegal at all, nevermind end in a jail sentence.

[J_R]

One of the reasons I'm glad to be American.

[Jesse]

jailed for something he said online? thats rediculous, the courts should be ashamed of themselves