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'Arsonist' Facebook threats taken down |
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Written by Nick Farrell
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Tuesday, 17 February 2009 11:37 |
Coppers ask nicely
Facebook
has removed postings and groups dedicated to threatening the bloke fingered for
the Australian bush fires.
Brendan Sokaluk was the target of Facebook
vigilantes, who published his photograph and address on the site and made
numerous threats to his life. He has been charged with starting the the
Churchill-Jerraland fires in Gippsland, which killed at least 11 people.
The
publication breached an order suppressing his image and address amid fears of a
violent backlash by angry victims. Lawyers warned that people responsible for
the postings could face criminal charges, while the messages could force a
mistrial as they jeopardised the accused's right to a fair trial.
Sokaluk's
lawyer, Julian McMahon, complained that threats were made against his client's
family as a result of the online posts.
Facebook has confirmed that it
removed the worst postings calling for Sokaluk to be tortured and the image of
the bloke. The snap can still be found on another profile.
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