Mum’s anguish over internet troll abuse

Mum’s anguish over internet troll abuse

11 January 2017

A BALLYNAHINCH mum has appealed to parents to monitor their children’s online activity after internet trolls urged her son’s girlfriend to kill herself.

The woman was horrified by a series of abusive Facebook messages directed at her son’s 15 year-old girlfriend at the weekend.

She said the obscene abuse, which was shared thousands of times on the social media site, continued over several hours.

The woman said she was alerted to the bullying by her distraught 16 year-old son, who has autism.

He asked her to intervene on his girlfriend’s behalf shortly after the abuse began on Saturday evening.

She said one of the girls behind the vile messages had befriended her son’s girlfriend through online gaming two years ago and although they never met they had played virtually together without incident until this weekend.

Despite the trolls being blocked, one of them continued to send messages through an alternative account, urging the 15 year-old to self-harm and suggesting ways in which she could end her life.

The least offensive messages included branding the young girl “ugly” and a “tramp” before escalating into appeals for her to “kill herself.”

“I will come to your funeral and spit on your grave, you worthless freak, your boyfriend does not love you,” one of the trolls wrote.

“Your family don’t love you…you have already been told to self harm.”

The trolls made reference to several suicide methods and changed their writing to red to suggest blood.

“Hurry up and kill yourself,” one wrote.

The Ballynahinch woman said she was as emotional about the abuse as her son and his girlfriend.

She said she was perplexed as to how anyone could consider it appropriate to write such things.

“We all cried as it was very distressing,” she said. “It has been a horrific experience.

“Thousands of people reacted to the abuse, mostly expressing huge shock at the level of it.

“Facebook closed down the page and blocked those involved, but I hope the police will also take action.”

She said she had come across bullying in the past, but nothing at this level.

“It is very worrying as suicide is a problem in the Ballynahinch area. This went beyond bullying, it was vile abuse,” she said.

“I cannot understand how anybody could read this stuff and find it funny. If their parents have seen what they have done and can stand by that, then that is appalling.

The woman added: “If my child did something like that I would be utterly ashamed. I am extremely surprised their parents have not intervened.”