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Abuse uncovered by Sky News includes
calls for the couple to "burn in hell" -
while others want them "trampled by
horses". |
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Video in
link above |
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The Metropolitan Police is investigating
a catalogue of vile internet abuse
targeting the family of Madeleine McCann
including death threats, Sky News can
reveal.
Officers are in talks with the Crown
Prosecution Service after being handed a
dossier of more than 80 pages of Tweets,
Facebook posts and messages on online
forums aimed at Kate and Gerry McCann.
Over the past few years hundreds of
shocking messages have been posted by
'trolls' who believe - despite no
evidence - that the McCanns had some
involvement in the disappearance of
their daughter in Portugal in 2007.
These include suggestions that the
McCanns should be tortured and killed
and calls for them to "burn in hell".
Some messages are even directed at
Madeleine's younger siblings, now aged
nine. |
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Video in
link above |
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Manipulated images involving the McCanns
- many of them graphic - are also in
wide circulation online.
One troll - who uses the Twitter
identity "Sweepyface" and has posted
dozens of anti-McCann messages using the
#mccann hashtag - was confronted by Sky
News.
When asked about her use of social media
to attack the couple, she replied: "I'm
entitled to."
The dossier - compiled by members of the
public alarmed at the online treatment
of the McCanns and shown to Sky News -
calls on police and MPs to act to crack
down on such abuse. |
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Video in
link above |
(Please
note tweet's with the name
blacked out are NOT by
sweepyface) |
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The Met wrote to the campaigners: "In
consultation with the Crown Prosecution
Service and the McCann family the
material will now be assessed and
decisions made as to what further action
if any should be undertaken."
Among the messages identified in the
dossier is an exchange on a message
board which reads: "These 2 should burn
in hell"; "I will supply the petrol";
"I'll supply the lighter - happily".
Other posts include: "We need some
numbers for some assassins on taps", "I
hope that the McCanns are living in
total misery" and "I want to see them
smashed up the back of a bus or trampled
by horses".
In one of her tweets "Sweepyface" called
for the McCanns to suffer "for the rest
of their miserable lives". |
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Video in
link above |
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Many social media users have expressed
anger towards the internet trolls
following news of the investigation into
abuse of the McCanns.
However, a significant number have also
voiced their support for ‘Sweepyface’,
who has since deactivated her Twitter
account.
In addition to threats and abuse,
several trolls have claimed to live
nearby to the McCanns in Leicestershire
and reported on their movements.
The campaigner spearheading the appeal -
who has asked to remain anonymous - told
Sky News: "We're very worried that it's
only going to take somebody to act out
of some of these discussions, some of
the threats that have been made, and we
couldn't live with ourselves if that
happened and we had done nothing." |
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Video in
link above |
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Author Anthony Summers, whose book
Looking for Madeleine was published last
month, said: "There is a campaign of
hatred against the parents.
"It is venomous and vitriolic, most of
it done by cowards. We are taken aback
by the extent of the sheer evil behind
it all."
Sara Payne has become a campaigner for
parents' right to a controlled access to
the Sex Offenders Register since her
daughter, Sarah, was murdered in 2000.
Responding to the story of the abuse
against the McCanns on Twitter, she
wrote: "About time, they are certainly
not the only victims but they are the
most abused. |
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Video in
link above |
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"I hope this means this kind of
disgusting abuse will finally be
stopped."
A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution
Service said: "Police have alerted us to
this information and an early discussion
has taken place." |
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