unsigned statement

[charmed1966]

hi my daughter awas recently questioned by police over some abusive texts sent from her phone by a friend. however she cant prove her friend sent them and of course the friend is denying all knowledge but when the police interviewed my daughter they forgto to get us to sign the statement does this have any effect on the case if it goes to court?? thanks

[jackthehat]

No.

[bednobs]

no, they will simply ask her to sign the statement on the day

[wolf63]

I would have said 'yes' - she could deny making the statement and change her story.

[JimmyCooper]

I'm amazed the police are involved

[ummmm]

Why are you amazed?

[New Judge]

You should not be at all amazed, Jimmy. It is “easy meat” for them.

Take a statement or two from some teenagers, scare one or two of them witless with threats of unspeakable nasties that will occur to them if they are prosecuted for “Harassment Alarm or Distress”. Round it all off with a caution at the end and Hey Presto! Another “crime” solved without the inconvenience of having to tackle drunks or violent burglars.

I shouldn’t trouble yourself too much about the legal niceties, charmed. The matter is most unlikely to progress to court.

[ummmm]

NJ - but some of these messages can be distressing. Are people expected not to be alarmed or distressed just because it's sent in message form?

[exdc]

I'm amazed the police are involved ..

Welcome to the modern police force, they get involved and gridlocked in all sorts of nonsense

[ummmm]

How can you say it's nonsense when you do not know what these abusive messages said?

Where do you draw the line? Should all messages be ignored because they are just messages?

No....same as face to face. Abuse is abuse and it's not on...

[exdc]

mmmm I was not commenting on this particular case posted by charmed.

[ummmm]

Well it reads like you're saying it's nonsense that the police are involved. Until we know the content of the messages it can't be dismissed as nonsense.

[exdc]

Well I assure you that I do not mean this particular case is nonsense

[ChuckFickens]

Why shouldn't the police get involved. It's about time that people started to realise that abusive and threatening people will be punished regardless of the medium used.

http://www.legislatio...a/2003/21/section/127

[exdc]

The police are involved

[ummmm]

Thank you Chuck....

And yes it should be taken more seriously.

[exdc]

ummm, what makes you think that these matters are not taken seriously?.

Charmed, out of interest have the police seized your daughter's telephone?

[New Judge]

I'm sorry if I gave the wrong impression. I did not suggest that the matter should be taken lightly or that the police should not be involved. All matters like this are distressing to the victim.

Having said that the test under the Communications Act to which ChuckFickens refers is quite high. Messages have to be “...grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character...”

My point is that we constantly hear that the police have to prioritise matters as their resources are limited. I would suggest that an offence such as this is fairly innocuous compared to say, burglary, where victims are usually offered a crime number, a leaflet telling them how to get better locks fitted and the phone number of Victim Support if they are lucky. Nonetheless police seem to latch on to this sort of "hate" behavior with gusto because, as I said, it is “easy meat”.

[ummmm]

NJ - your opinion then please. Someone on FB has been sending me messages. He opens new accounts to do so as I block him. The are getting increasingly worse. One of them is calling my dad a child abuser. The next one is saying he's going to rape my children.

He also sent one to my friend threatening to slit his throat.

How seriously would they be taken?