Tougher sentences for internet trolls

18 October 2014
Last updated at 22:29

Internet trolls could face up to two years in jail under new laws, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has said.

He told the Mail on Sunday quadrupling the current maximum six-month term showed his determination to “take a stand against a baying cyber-mob”.

The plan has been announced days after TV presenter Chloe Madeley suffered online abuse, which Mr Grayling described as “crude and degrading”.

Magistrates could pass serious cases on to crown courts under the new measures.

Social media ‘venom’

Mr Grayling told the newspaper: “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.”

Miss Madeley received threats after defending her mother Judy Finnigan’s comments on a rape committed by footballer Ched Evans, which she said was “non-violent” and did not cause “bodily harm”.

Richard Madeley has said “prosecution awaits” those who sent “sick rape threats” to his daughter.

The justice secretary said: “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.”

Miss Madeley told the Mail on Sunday she agreed with the new proposals to update the 10-year-old law.

‘Online terrorism’

“It needs to be accepted that physical threats should not fall under the ‘freedom of speech’ umbrella,” she said.

“It should be seen as online terrorism and it should be illegal.”

Those who subject others to sexually offensive, verbally abusive or threatening material online are currently prosecuted in magistrates’ courts under the Malicious Communications Act, with a maximum prison sentence of six months.

More serious cases could go to crown court under the proposals, where the maximum sentence would be extended.

The law change is to be made as an amendment to the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill going through Parliament.

The new measures would also give police more time to collect enough evidence to enable successful prosecutions to be brought.

Mr Grayling had announced earlier this month that the Bill would also have an amendment dealing with so-called “revenge porn”, with those posting such images on the internet facing two years in jail.