We all know that Twitter is a gift to people who enjoy saying horrible things to people they dislike or disagree with. Think Jessica Ahlquist; think #mencallmethings. Even Olympic athletes get the treatment.
A 17-year-old boy arrested as part of an investigation into Twitter messages sent to the diver Tom Daley after he and team-mate Pete Waterfield missed out on a medal on Monday has been issued with a harassment warning….
The teenager was held at a guesthouse in Weymouth, Dorset, hours after Daley retweeted messages he had been sent soon after finishing fourth in the 10m men’s synchronised platform diving event. Daley, 18, retweeted a message that said: “You let your dad down i hope you know that.” The diver added: “After giving it my all … you get idiots sending me this …”
Daley’s father, Rob, died from cancer last year…
Speaking before the Olympics, Daley told the BBC: “Winning a medal would make all the struggles that I’ve had worthwhile. It’s been my dream since a very young age to compete at an Olympics. I’m doing it for myself and my dad. It was both our dreams from a very young age. I always wanted to do it and Dad was so supportive of everything. It would make it extra special to do it for him.”
Ugly, isn’t it.
Seems like a lot of that going around lately.
Just about every day my decision to stay on the fringes of social media (no Twitter, no Facebook, no cell phone) seems smarter and smarter. There are some major league assholes out on the internet.
The twit knew this how? Is he in communication with Daley’s dad via ouija board? Or is he just whining out of his ass because Daley didn’t win a medal?
It seems the young idiot had a recent history of sending mean and rather pointless messages to people.
The teenager was held at a guesthouse in Weymouth, Dorset…
Izzat what useta be called a gaol?
Orwell lives!
No, Pierce.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2181068/Tom-Daley-Twitter-troll-detained-abusive-messages-issued-harassment-warning.html
maureenbrian – thanks for the clarification.
Apparently my confusion involved a double-stumble over the British/American “English” divide – not only being unaware of the meaning of “guesthouse” (curious how your linked article uses the term as a compound and as two words, eh?), but reading “detained” as “confined” rather than “arrested”. (Assuming that latter works as a translation…)
Tally up one more mid-Atlantic miscommunication.
The kid has problems
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/pressure-grows-on-twitter-to-curb-abusive-trolls-8007756.html
I don’t think people should be arrested for leaving messages like that. I’d rather the UK adopted something similar to the First Amendment, and the jurisprudence that followed.
He wasn’t arrested or detained for that tweet, he was arrested because of this tweet:
source
Have you a source for that ? All I could find said the police didn’t say which tweet they arrested him for.
Michael