Abduction of 5 Year old Girl April Jones

Originally Posted by Derek

I've not had to do the day to day stuff for a bit, however when I speak to other cops the amount of electronic, low level stuff seems to be increasing and due to its nature takes up more time than other 'crimes'.

Are there many types of this electronic low level stuff or is it all harassment/abuse type cases? Do you need to get warrants every time?

[Derek]

Originally Posted by Damien

Are there many types of this electronic low level stuff or is it all harassment/abuse type cases? Do you need to get warrants every time?

You get the fall out from breakups and friendships ending that can be a waste of time but still get investigated as it could easily turn into a serious case. There is also low level internet frauds, posting of obscene photos or videos without consent and a host of other technology based offences.

You also get the tit for tat online football rivalry where one side will complain "He called me a hun!", "Well he called me a fenian!", "He started it, he posted a picture of ...." where what should happen is all sides are told to shut up and grow up but in the current climate there are special teams to deal with it and its arrests and jailtime all round.

Of course what one person classes as a waste of time can be another persons serious crime.

As for warrants it works a bit differently up here as the Police don't have PACE to deal with. If I was doing a call tomorrow regarding mobile or internet abuse and I thought I needed to seize a phone or computer for examining then it would be getting seized using common law powers.

Ah ok. So a lot more small-level but still serious crimes then. I wondered if there were loads of new laws that you had to investigate such as these twitter/facebook 'jokes'.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by Damien

Ah ok. So a lot more small-level but still serious crimes then. I wondered if there were loads of new laws that you had to investigate such as these twitter/facebook 'jokes'.

Not up here. S127 of the Communications Act, and Breach of the Peace or S38 Criminal Justice and Licensing Act can be interpreted to cover most things and the new 1984-ish Offensive Behaviour at Football Act covers the people acting like a twonk online due to football stuff.

Originally Posted by Damien

It means he just posted it for the consumption of his 'friends' rather than directing it at a community or group of people. It's the internet equivalent of telling a joke in a bar amongst friends as opposed to shouting it in a supermarket.

Originally Posted by Derek

Without the message being directed at someone I would previously have thought the chances of proving a crime were limited however in the new world where someone, somewhere is permanently offended about something it seems like common sense is going out the window.

Chorley Magistrates' Court heard members of the public were so upset about his postings that they reported them to the police.
A "vigilante mob" of around 50 people later descended upon his home address in Eaves Lane and the defendant was arrested on Saturday night at a separate address for his own safety.

I think the problem was that the people he sent the comments and jokes to, albeit privately where so offended they reported him and went round his house to kick ten bells out of him ,maybe the police should have taken their time in responding

Originally Posted by martyh

I think the problem was that the people he sent the comments and jokes to, albeit privately where so offended they reported him and went round his house to kick ten bells out of him ,maybe the police should have taken their time in responding

But even 'sent' is a overstating it. That implies he directed it at people rather than at a group that have him listed on Facebook. Problem is once it's on Facebook you have no control over where it goes.

True ,i don't use facebook so don't know how much info you put on it is free to be viewed by others .i would imagine that if you post on your wall to friends only and then they forward on to others then it gets out but surely that makes others who do the forwarding just as guilty ?

[Matth]

Wow, thanks to an earlier poster for the slashdot link...
It appears the guy posted some offensive jokes to his own wall, which someone else copied to the find April page.
I'd say the person that copied should be the one charged over trolling, and the original post reported via facebook's protocols... off to look for a "Free Matthew Woods" group.

[Derek]

The man accused of murdering missing five-year-old April Jones is expected to say he was probably responsible for her death but he did not murder her, a court has been told by his barrister.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-21009177

Good luck with that defence. I wonder what his story is and if he admits killing her what assistance has he given in finding her body?

Originally Posted by Derek

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-21009177

Good luck with that defence. I wonder what his story is and if he admits killing her what assistance has he given in finding her body?

Wonder how he will attempt to spin that defence.

[thenry]

Missing April Jones: Mark Bridger murder trial adjourned

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-21517080

they still havent found her

[Mr_love_monkey]

I still don't understand his defence.

...expected to say he was probably responsible for her death but he did not murder her

[Russ]

Originally Posted by Mr_love_monkey

I still don't understand his defence.

Hypothetically speaking, if he abducted her and left her in some remote field and she died from the cold or slipped in to a river and drowned then by his leaving her there he would be responsible for her death but not her murder.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by Mr_love_monkey

I still don't understand his defence.

He was giving her a lift home and she jumped out the car and was fatally injured. He panicked and disposed of the body as no-one would believe it was an accident.

Or some other fantasy in no way thought up by his defence lawyers.

I think Ian Huntley claimed a similar defence at his trial.

[Kymmy]

Blood and bone fragments matching poor April's DNA were found in his home

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22353735

I feel sorry for the poor parents knowing that she's dead but not knowing where she is