Advertisement

Internet trolls in Britain could face serious jail time

The change in policy will be debated next week.

By Thor Benson
Logging into Twitter. (Shutterstock/UPI/2nix Studios)
Logging into Twitter. (Shutterstock/UPI/2nix Studios)

LONDON, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- Internet trolls could face serious jail time in Britain if proposed policy changes pass through Parliament.

Chloe Madeley, a British TV star and model, was threatened with rape on Twitter last week. Madeley was targeted after discussing comments her mother had made comments regarding a rape case involving professional soccer player Ched Evans.

Advertisement

Situations like Madeley's are forcing courts to reconsider the legal consequences of online trolling and harassment.

"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," Justice Secretary of British Parliament, Chris Graying, told the Mail on Sunday newspaper. The House of Lords will debates the changes to the Criminal Justice and Courts bill this coming week, the BBC reports.

Latest Headlines