What with the noticeable rise in vile internet abuse and trolling, the British government has decided to put down incentives to significantly increase the jail time of offenders by up to two years, boosting up the original sentencing of six months four-fold.
This decision follows a shocking, high-profile and disturbing case of abuse that was hurled against model Chloe Madeley last week, according to the Daily Mail; the abuse of which involving death and rape threats. The new sentencing has already been named in honor of Madeley, entitled “Chloe’s Law”, after just secretary Chris Grayling referenced her stance against the abuse.
Grayling revealed to The Mail on Sunday that the maximum six month sentence for internet abuse would be quadrupled.
Madeley was targeted for abuse following her mother made remarks about footballer Ched Evans, who was convicted for rape. As she defended her mother for suggesting on a TV panel show that Evans offence was less serious because he had not physically harmed the teenager he attacked, according to the Daily Mail, Madeley described the threats as “ extremely chilling and cowardly ”
Upon hearing about the change to the maximum sentence, Madeley welcomed it, saying that the most sickening comments she received amounted to “ online terrorism. ”
“ These internet trolls are cowards who are poisoning our national life. No one would permit such venom in person, so there should be no place for it on social media. That is why we are determined to quadruple the current six-month sentence, ” Grayling said in a statement.
“ As the terrible case of Chloe Madeley showed last week, people are being abused online in the most crude and degrading fashion. This is a law to combat cruelty – and marks our determination to take a stand against a baying cyber-mob. We must send out a clear message: if you troll you risk being behind bars for two years. ”
According to the Daily Mail, the planned changes to the original six month sentencing, which is under the Malicious Communications Act, will allow for magistrates to pass serious cases of trolling and internet abuse to crown courts, where offenders could face a maximum sentence of 24 months. Madeley added that it was right for Grayling to update the ten-year-law.
“ The current law obviously needs to be reviewed. It needs to be accepted that physical threats should not fall under the ‘freedom of speech’ umbrella, ” she told The Mail on Sunday. “ It should be seen as online terrorism and it should be illegal. ”
We’ll bring you more news on this should further information reach our ears.
[ Daily Mail ]