When Bolton's Fabrice Muamba collapsed and his heart stopped for more than an hour, onlookers could only pray. The professionals could do more, defibrillating his heart back into action and saving his life. Meanwhile, a 21-year-old Welsh asshole was merrily Tweeting away that he hoped Muamba was dead, and hurling racial slurs at anyone who called him on it.
Liam Stacey, already suspended from Swansea University and ordered to avoid social networking sites, was sentenced today to 56 days in jail for a "racially aggravated public order offense." He told the court he had been drinking since lunchtime that day when he wrote "LOL Fuck Muamba he's dead !!! #Haha" Later on, after numerous users reported him to police, he claimed his account had been hacked, and later, deleted it altogether. He was arrested at his home early the next morning.
Stacey was near tears at his sentencing, as a judge called the comments "vile and abhorrent" and told him "there is no alternative to an immediate prison sentence." The prosecutor held up the lightning-quick investigation and sentencing as a deterrent:
"Racist language is inappropriate in any setting and through any media. We hope this case will serve as a warning to anyone who may think that comments made online are somehow beyond the law."
So, yes, racism is bad, and society probably won't miss Stacey these 56 days. But it's the sentence and not the crime (or rather, the notion that Tweeting can be a crime) that is most chilling to anyone raised under the totem of the First Amendment. There's the temptation to put this in the context of the FA's anti-racism campaign, but the fact is that the U.K. doesn't have the same concept of protected speech. Stacey isn't even the first Brit this week to be sentenced for racially abusing soccer players on Twitter.
Public-order offenses are used all the time to prosecute things like hate speech (or perhaps thoughtcrime), and there's nothing more public than Twitter. Stacey could have carried a racist placard around White Hart Lane, and fewer people would have been able to see it. I couldn't tell you if this sort of racist shit is common in the U.K., where it's prosecutable, and only the most egregious examples get singled out. But the next time a black American athlete fails or screws up in
Reuters) - A student who mocked footballer Fabrice Muamba on Twitter after the Bolton Wanderers midfielder collapsed during a match was jailed on Tuesday for inciting racial hatred.
Liam Stacey, 21, provoked revulsion with comments made while the Bolton Wanderers star still lay on the pitch.
The 23-year-old midfielder was left fighting for his life after suffering a cardiac arrest during an FA Cup tie against Tottenham Hotspur on March 17.
Fans in the stadium and those viewing on live television watched in horror as Muamba fell to the ground during the quarter-final clash that was abandoned.
Police were inundated with complaints as members of the public, former soccer player Stan Collymore among them, reported the student's comments.
Stacey, a Swansea University third-year biology undergraduate, was quickly tracked down and arrested.
Last week he admitted inciting racial hatred when he appeared at Swansea Magistrates' Court and on Tuesday he was jailed for 56 days at the same court, the Press Association reported.
The first of Stacey's messages began with "LOL (laugh out loud) and said Muamba had died.
Several people took him to task for his views and he responded with a string of offensive comments aimed at other Twitter users.
Muamba remains in intensive care in hospital where his condition is described as serious but stable.
Stacey broke down as he was taken away in handcuffs to a holding cell beneath the court.
District Judge John Charles told him: "In my view there is no alternative to an immediate prison sentence."
The court heard that, when arrested, Stacey admitted his guilt and said he had been drunk at the time.
On the day in question, he had been out watching Wales's rugby grand slam victory and had drunk up to eight pints of beer.
Gareth Jones, defending, said Stacey was completely ashamed of his behaviour.
"On the night in question his comments were vile - he admits that," Jones said.
Stacey has ambitions to become a forensic scientist.
That was now very unlikely, Jones said, and he would "pay dearly for the rest of his life" for what he had done.
MORE MUAMBA RACIST NEWS( culled deadspin.com)
Racist Tweets About Fabrice Muamba Get Student 56 Days In Jail
When Bolton's Fabrice Muamba collapsed and his heart stopped for more than an hour, onlookers could only pray. The professionals could do more, defibrillating his heart back into action and saving his life. Meanwhile, a 21-year-old Welsh asshole was merrily Tweeting away that he hoped Muamba was dead, and hurling racial slurs at anyone who called him on it.
Liam Stacey, already suspended from Swansea University and ordered to avoid social networking sites, was sentenced today to 56 days in jail for a "racially aggravated public order offense." He told the court he had been drinking since lunchtime that day when he wrote "LOL Fuck Muamba he's dead !!! #Haha" Later on, after numerous users reported him to police, he claimed his account had been hacked, and later, deleted it altogether. He was arrested at his home early the next morning.
Stacey was near tears at his sentencing, as a judge called the comments "vile and abhorrent" and told him "there is no alternative to an immediate prison sentence." The prosecutor held up the lightning-quick investigation and sentencing as a deterrent:
"Racist language is inappropriate in any setting and through any media. We hope this case will serve as a warning to anyone who may think that comments made online are somehow beyond the law."
So, yes, racism is bad, and society probably won't miss Stacey these 56 days. But it's the sentence and not the crime (or rather, the notion that Tweeting can be a crime) that is most chilling to anyone raised under the totem of the First Amendment. There's the temptation to put this in the context of the FA's anti-racism campaign, but the fact is that the U.K. doesn't have the same concept of protected speech. Stacey isn't even the first Brit this week to be sentenced for racially abusing soccer players on Twitter.
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