- Nicola Brookes, 45, was targeted by internet trolls after posting message of support for X-Factor contestant Frankie Cocozza
- The mother, who doesn't even watch X-Factor, wrote message supporting singer on his official Facebook page after her daughter showed her his page
- Abusers created fake profile with her picture and posted sick messages to lure young girls
- The single mother is the first person ever to bring a court case privately to track down those who abused her
- She was forced to take action after police refused to intervene
- Despite the abuse, Nicola is STILL on Facebook
By Vanessa Allen
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A mother who was sent death threats by so-called internet ‘trolls’ has won a landmark legal case against Facebook.
Nicola Brookes was tormented for months by anonymous internet bullies after she left an innocent message of support for an X Factor contestant on the social networking site.
She went to police to make a complaint but claimed officers told her to go home.
Months of torment: Nicola Brookes was targeted by internet trolls after she messaged her support for X Factor star Frankie Cocozza
Now she has won a legal order forcing Facebook to disclose the identities of the trolls. It is the first time an individual has won such an order and Miss Brookes, 45, hopes to pursue private prosecutions against those responsible for her months of ‘vicious and depraved’ abuse.
Charities said the High Court ruling sent a message to the cyber bullies that their anonymity can be stripped away, leaving them open to prosecution.
Campaigners warned that online bullying has become the ‘weapon of choice’ among children and teenagers, with police and prosecutors failing to keep pace with the changes in technology.
Miss Brookes’s ordeal began last November when her daughter told her that an X Factor contestant, Frankie Cocozza, had received hate mail on Facebook. Stung by the cruelty, the mother left a message on his Facebook page, saying simply: ‘Keep your chin up, Frankie, they’ll move on to someone else soon.’
How it started: Nicola's support for X Factor's Frankie Cocozza led to a horrid hate-campaign against her
Within minutes bullies on the site turned on her, writing vile abuse including ‘Your [sic] a desperate pedo b****’ and ‘Ur [sic] a ****ing dog’. More than 100 cruel messages were left in just 24 hours. Miss Brookes said: ‘Facebook users began deliberately targeting me, writing under my comment that I was a paedophile and hoping that I would die.’
Worse followed when an online bully set up a fake Facebook profile in Miss Brookes’ name, with her photo and personal email address, and used it to send explicit messages to thousands of children, some as young as nine.
Some messages falsely described her as a drug dealer, a prostitute and a paedophile and known child abuser, and others attempted to ‘befriend’ young girls.
On Mother’s Day this year, trolls published the single mother’s home address in Brighton.
Horrified, she reported the abuse to Facebook and the police, but said officers did nothing to help her. She said one officer told her she could leave a dossier of evidence ‘but we won’t read it’.
Frustrated by their response Miss Brookes contacted lawyers and began legal action to force Facebook to reveal details about her anonymous tormentors.
Last week the High Court granted an order compelling the site to disclose the bullies’ names, email addresses and their computers’ internet protocol (IP) addresses, which can be used to determine a computer’s location.
Miss Brookes said: ‘These abusers are not just random people who have nothing better to do with their time.
‘These are organised people who have been operating on Facebook for years.
‘I’m going for the strongest possible prosecution against these people. I want them exposed.’
Last month, a survey found that just over half of all internet users have received abuse online or by text message. Only a minority report the abuse t o police as many believe it will not be taken seriously.
Jibes: Nicola Brookes has her picture posted on Facebook - and someone suggests she has been sending round pictures of child abuse
Offensive: Some more of the abuse that went on Facebook. This page formed part of the evidence that Nicola's solicitors presented to the High Court
Prosecutions under the Malicious Communications Act, which makes it illegal to send grossly offensive messages, have increased three-fold since 2004. There were almost 900 such prosecutions last year but prosecutors accept that only a minority of trolls are brought to justice.
Miss Brookes has remained on Facebook despite the abuse and said she was determined not to be bullied into quitting the site.
Her legal action would have cost her up to £5,000 but her solicitors Bains Cohen agreed to take the case for free because of her horrific treatment. Lawyer Rupinder Bains said Facebook had not contested the action and had agreed to hand over the information within six weeks.
Four individuals were believed to have led the abuse against Miss Brookes and her lawyers will consider private prosecutions against them. If their Facebook accounts were set up using fake names and email addresses, lawyers will have to return to court and win similar o rders against the trolls’ internet service providers, to get the bill-payers’ addresses.
Rise of the sick internet trolls
Vile: Ms Brookes shows off print outs of some of the abuse she suffered online at the hands of tormenters
Abuse: A false Facebook page that was set-up for Nicola Brookes by the cyber bullies
Mr Bains said: ‘It should have been the police’s job to get these details from Facebook but they have completely failed in their responsibility to do that.’
Facebook said it reveals its users’ names and email addresses only if a court orders it to do so. A spokesman said: ‘There is no place for harassment on Facebook, but unfortunately a small minority of malicious individuals exist online, just as they do offline. We respect our legal obligations and work with law enforcement to ensure such people are brought to justice.’
Suzie Hayman, of Bullying UK, said: ‘Bullies hide behind the anonymity of the internet and they should not be able to do so. You can’t be anonymous if you say something hurtful in the office or the schoolyard and people need to learn you can’t be anonymous on the internet either.’
Sussex Police said they had asked Facebook to remove any abusive posts about Miss Brookes and insisted they were inves tigating the case.
A spokesman said: ‘We need to gather evidence to prove who the person is for a successful prosecution to take place.’
Insults: Here someone posted Nicola's home address in Brighton where she lives alone (left) while 'Cuthbert Bollingsworth-Smythe' posts more offensive messages
Horrendous: Yet more offensive messages directed at Nicola Brookes are posted on this page
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Cops taking no action....I'm shocked and stunned... They would need to put down the doughnuts and coffee in their nice warm tax payer heated heated offices and actually earn their generous pensions for a change.
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Lol.
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People say bad things on the Internet, how one reacts to them is a measure of the person. This lady fed the trolls and needs a course in human nature, she can't fix humanity but she can stop over-reacting. Ridiculous woman.
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They would have ........ if she was a Conservative MP. We have a two-tier Police Service in this country - First class for "them" and second class for the rest of "us".
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Internet trolls are complete bullies and cowards, but taking legal action is equally pathetic in my opinion. They are just words! At school my parents taught me just to shrug off hurtful comments, and not to run to the teacher. Why do these lessons not apply to ADULTS who are supposed to be stronger and more mature? And where will it end? Will someone soon be able to phone the police if someone calls them an idiot in an online forum? Better get in some more call centre staff.
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Sussex Police are only qualified to issue speeding tickets, any other form of Policing is beyond their intelligence.
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Facebook. The poison pen writers dream.
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The police have not got the resources to track down these people, unless the victims are celebrities, footballers, MPs etc. Well done this lady for her efforts. Don't let the bullies win!
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Nicola Brookes is an attractive woman. Could some of these trolls be very jealous females who have never had any male attention? Appalling the police are not bringing a criminal charge against these trolls because it is incitement to hatred, pure and simple. She has to bring a private prosecution, which will add to her stress and they will not be imprisoned or have a criminal record, they will only have to pay her compensation at best. A conviction on a private prosecution is much easier however, as you only have to prove guilt on the balance of probabilities whereas on criminal conviction it is beyond reasonable doubt so the burden of proof is far less. With her address having been published she is at risk from vigilantes. Vigilantes are those who think their brand of justice must over ride everyone else's and ensure it does. No better than these trolls. Our police are only interested in previous offenders and easy cops, speeding motorists. Do the pol ice really stop crime?
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Since when did it become ok for the police to cherry pick what crime they want to investigate?
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