Sharing child killer images online could lead to jail

[Acorn Newsbot]

Several people who may have shared images online said to show the notorious killer of youngster James Bulger, could face fines or even imprisonment.

The UK Government’s most senior legal advisor, Attorney General Dominic Grieve, has confirmed he will take legal action over the pictures.

There’s an injunction in force that prevents the publication of anything which claims to identify someone as Jon Venables or Robert Thompson, who were both given secret identities after being released from prison in 2001.

In an official statement, the Attorney General said the ban was to protect not just the pair, but also anyone else from being incorrectly named as one of the two men and being placed in danger.

The statement advises anyone who has posted material online in breach of the injunction to remove it immediately.

This case highlights how easy it can be to share something online and end up accidentally breaking the law. Our advice is that just because everyone else seems to be saying or sharing something online doesn’t make it legal so if there’s any doubt, it’s best to say nowt!

A good way to check your understanding of how the law applies online would be to take our free test which also gives helpful advice on staying legal.

Here are some other tips to stay legal online:-

•*When you log-on, don’t let your common sense log-off! Something said in the heat of the moment could have unpleasant consequences.
•*If you are going to say something negative about someone online, be absolutely sure it is true before you publish.
•*Don’t post jokes online that might be seen to encourage people to do anything illegal or violent.

There’s more advice in our online guide to staying legal online








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[RobM]

Now if only actually *BEING* a child killer could keep you there...... society gone mad

 

[mozzeratti]

Calls to memory all of the anti-piracy suits individuals were slapped with a decade ago for downloading/sharing music. Quite a few people were completely shocked - just aghast to discover that what they were engaged in was against the law.

On a slightly different note, the name "AccidentalOutlaw" brought a smile to my lips - kind of humorous.