Sex Offender Seeks Damages Over Facebook Page

A convicted sex offender is seeking criminal damages after winning a court case forcing Facebook to remove a page which monitors paedophiles.

'Keeping our kids safe from predators' was ordered to be removed within 72 hours last Friday, but now a second version of the page has been set up.

The original page named the man, known only as XY, and published a photograph of him. Threatening and abusive comments targeted at the man were then posted on the page.

Mr Justice McCloskey, who ordered the removal of the page, said the contents amounted to prima facie harassment and risked infringing his human rights.

But he also pointed out the ruling does not suppress information about him or his criminal record that is already in the public domain.

The plaintiff holds 15 convictions for sexual offences, all of which were committed in the 1980s.

He served half his prison sentence before being released, but was then detained for a further six months for breaching a condition of his license.

Now he is attempting to file for damages.

A statement from the man said: "I am in fear for my safety and in a state of constant anxiety as I believe if this material continues to be published it will only be a matter of time before the threats materialise into an attack on me or my home.

"The defendants are publishing comments intended to vilify me, some of which are directly threatening.

"By publishing this material about me, the defendants are providing a vehicle for others who may have criminal intent to gain information about where I live and to stir up hatred against me."

The Judge McCloskey said: "The order of this court does not suppress publication of this information in any way.

"Rather, it simply requires certain modest steps to be taken by the operator of a social networking site to ensure that, pending the substantive trial of this action, the plaintiff is not exposed to further conduct which I consider, to a high level of arguability, to be unlawful."

(IT)