First case of web rage comes to court
Pick-axe handled
By INQUIRER newsdesk: Wednesday 18 October 2006, 13:47
A CHATROOM CONFRONTATION led to physical violence in Britain's
first ever "web-rage" attack, reports the BBC.
Paul Gibbons, a 47 year old living in south London, will be
sentenced on the 7th November after admitting to the unlawful
wounding (as opposed to the utterly lawful wounding) of Mr Jones
from Essex.
Supposedly, the violence came about last December after a heated
chat in a Yahoo chatroom, "Islam 10", in which Gibbons accused
Jones of spreading rumours.
Gibbons, who, the court heard, has a history of violence, travelled
70 miles from south London to beat the heck out of Mr Jones, with a
pickaxe handle. Mr Jones had a feeling that there was trouble afoot
when he peaked through his door and saw Gibbons with another bloke
who was holding a machete.
Christopher Creagh of the Metropolitan Police says that this is the
"first instance of a web-rage attack" he or the force has come
across.
He went on to stress the importance of keeping one's identity well
and truly secure when chatting online, and that the case
"demonstrates how easily other users can put two and two together
and also shows how children could also find themselves in
danger."