This was far more serious than anything I have seen on EF. It does serve as a reminder that some people's idea of fun can be very offensive to others.

BBC News

he looks liek a troll also. sentence is not heavy enough I find. @%?& twat

He needs help, not prison, or help in prison...I don't think he will get it there though.

"Lance Whiteford, mitigating, said Duffy had been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome at an early age and one of the characteristics was an inability to judge the reaction of others.

He said Duffy had also struggled with alcohol problems and lived "a miserable existence"

missed that part somehow

They're coming for you next Dougal's Breakfast!

in all seriousness, I know of someone who topped themselves after being on the wrong end of some humour on an Internet forum in around 2000.

Just something to consider when a whole forum rounds on someone

Some groups go to extraordinary lengths to protect their interest on Forums and have very particular tactics to 'destroy' opponents, beginning with derision, mockery and can escalate to bullying, threats regarding family, etc.
For most of us it will be water over a ducks back, for others...

What a piece of exrement.
So he was diagnosed with Aspergers. Does that resolve him of guilt? "An inability to judge the reaction of others" I find hard to accept as an excuse. I'm guessing but I would find it most odd if others, when reading his posts, didn't politely or otherwise suggest to him that his comments might have been out of order. If someone steps over the boundary here on EF then there are plenty of folk that cry foul and post comments to suggest a different approach. I contend he knew exactly what he was doing and didn't give a toss.

What part of

don't you understand ?

The only reason you temper your own posts , is either to elicit a reaction , or refrain from insulting / offending someone. He can not do this , as he cannot judge the reaction of others to his posts.

Give the guy a break...

He was not absolved of guilt. He was found guilty. Nobody is arguing the guilty plea. However, his condition is a strong mitigating factor and should lead you some way in understanding the situation.

...a shining beacon of compassion aren't you just.

Dearest UTH, yes the guy has a problem, that is why at his first offence he was let off with a warning, since he keeps doing it, it would seem that either a- he is in no capacity of undferstanding or 2- he does not care. Unfortunatelz he had been given a second chance and he blew it...

Sweetest Angela, what does a second chance to someone with Aspergers mean ? Nothing.
It's disorder that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. (wiki)

He will keep doing it, that's a characteristic of the disorder. Jail will not rehabilitate him, as rehabilitation would mean a cure for his disorder, and that ain't gonna happen.

What next , jailing somebody with Tourette's for abusive language ???

This sets a rather dangerous precedent. As much of a nasty person that this guy clearly would appear to be, think about the consequences of what the law and the public are now facing. Without intending to defend the guy at all, let's see what the real crime is here. He blatantly mocked the death of a teenager and goaded family members. Although this can't be considered to be acceptable social behavior, imagine how few people wouldn't be in jail if this example led to further prosecution every time we insulted another on-line user.

I'm not seeing the crime here. I'm reading about an asshole, who should be taught some manners and have his feelings stamped on, but I'm not seeing how the state ought to prosecute "virtual crimes" other than the those that already exist, like the distribution of banned pornography.

There's a fine line between the reality of actual crime and the supposed emotional fallout of someone just writing jibes to shock. There are kids wearing T-shirts that I'm sure offend many, just like rap artists singing about their domination of women. Are we going to turn to the state and expect national retribution every time that someone hurts our feelings with some throwaway comment on the net?

Find me a legal definition of "to hurt someone's feelings" and then sentence accordingly - I don't think so.

You have a point, then what do you think should be done if there is no cure or treatment? Mwaning he can not be helped?

I don't see what crime was committed either.

There are many precedents. One can argue that writing something on the Internet is the same as taking an electric megaphone and broadcasting it in a public area. That would leave many avenues open to prosecutors...

The law is clear here. It allows no difference between on line and real life. Hateful actions occur in both, have similar consequences in both and should be treated equally. Internet libel cases exists, Internet copyright cases exist , most laws , slowly are now including the internet. There is no hiding here.

The trouble lies , in that the Internet grew up in an anarchic fashion, people became used to acting in any manner they saw fit without consequence. It took a while for the judiciary and law to catch up, but catching up they are.

In this case, a man walking down the street cursing and insulting everyone, suffering from Asperger's is understandable. A healthy man walking down the street cursing and shouting at everyone is guilty of many petty crimes. Both men are guilty in the eyes of the law, but mitigating circumstances and sentencing discretion allows for Judges to take all circumstances into consideration and sentence accordingly.

It is not called the Information highway for nothing. The Internet is our high street, and people are being advised to act accordingly.

It's not what we do for him, it's what we do for ourselves. Starting with understanding and tolerance. I am sure if the parents of that girl were aware of his condition, their feelings may be somewhat diluted.

So this is the way I see it, this person, as troubled as he can be has disrupted the life of more than 3 families ( at least the ones told in the news), why let 1 single person disturb everone. I agree that probably jail is not the best for him, but I also understand that the familie smight want some 'justice'.
According to what I read it seemed to me that the family did know he had Asperger's

I have no answer. In law we have "The age of responsibility" , some people never reach this age , regardless of how long they live. To the family I say HTFU, and think only of the nice memories of your daughter , redirect your anger and grief elsewhere. I mean that in the best possible way. To the State, I say make sure people like this idiot are cared for. After the first offence , he should have Internet access taken away, or be supervised. That's very hard to enforce or carry out I know, but answers are not forthcoming in these circumstances.

In all cases, Jail rarely works.

What none of us know is the severity of his Asperger's syndrome. The court will presumably have had more details than have been published. This will have been taken into account when sentencing him.

I agree with UTH that jail alone is rarely the answer. Rehabilitation and support are required alongside punishment.

If you continue reading the wiki article it will also state that people with Asperger's are not intellectually challenged. Even if they lack empathy they are able to learn what society considers to be 'normal behavior'.

I agree that jail doesn't help anyone and it is a pity that he wasn't offered trainings in behavorial techniques after his first offense. That might have saved many people from suffering unnecessary pain.