Wow! The unthinkable has happened and that is a Facebook cyber bully is now in jail. Yes, in jail for tormenting another young woman on Facebook and Bebo for several years. However, this did not happen in the United States but in the United Kingdom. I hope the United States will follow suit at some point and start incarcerating these bullies because this is criminal behavior and warants being treated as such.
Emily Moore was the victim of Peer Abuse for four years by Keely Houghton. According to Moore, she was assaulted, called a slag, had her name dragged through the mud on Bebo and then on Facebook. The abuse went on and during this interval, Houghton had been suspended and even expelled but that did not stop her or her band of cohorts from continuing their abuse. She could not walk home from school without being harassed. She had objects like bottles thrown at her. Her hair was pulled out in clumps. There was no escape from this at all. Moore said this consumed her every waking thoughts for four years. All she got was alienation from peers and suffered panic attacks. What finally put an end to this and got Houghton into the trouble she is in now was when Houghton stated on Facebook that she wanted to kill Moore. Moore believed her; Houghton always carried out on her threats and made good on them. Now Moore is looking to relocate so she can take her power back and these bullies will not know where she lives.
Folks, why do we allow this to continue? No, it did not happen here in the US and the UK has taken legal action. This happens daily in our nation and yet we allow it to continue. This is not a person who is living life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. Nobody can live like this and develop into well adjusted adults; not without serious intervention. The psychological affects are devastating and as you see with Moore, she was affected. This is not normal “girls disliking one another so let them work out their differences themselves†sort of thing. Houghton evidently has some deep rooted anger and a lot of psychological issues herself. I hope she is incarcerated that she can seek the help she needs. For her to react to Moore as she did, something is not right with this girl and she needs a great deal of psychological intervention. In the meantime, our own nation needs to crack down further on these cases. If it means incarceration, so be it. At least the bully is getting some help or someone is attempting to help. Also, for the victim to heal from the pain caused by the bully. Its a very haunting feeling and consumes a person; I know as I have been there.
The sad thing in all of this is that Moore never understood why Houghton took such strong dislike to her. She had never done anything directly to trigger this abuse.
Elizabeth Bennett is the author of Peer Abuse Know More! Bullying From a Psychological Perspective. Visit Peer Abuse Know More! to learn more.
7 users commented in " Facebook Cyberbully is Behind Bars "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackI need help, I am being harrassed on facebook as well and I have tried several times to contact someone at facebook reguarding this matter, and I have been very unsuccessful. I have left several messages and sent out emails and have not recieved a call back so if there is someone out there who could help me I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you in advance
Edited by BNN Editor- If anyone needs to contact Bridgette please contact me at jannyo@gmail.com
Let me know the article you are referring to and I will be more than happy to have her contact you. Thank you.
Bridgette, keep sending stuff. Save all of the typed messages that the bully is putting on there and send that to facebook. Keep bugging them until they do something. Are you underage? If so, get your parents involved. Have them contact facebook. If you save the documentation for facebook to see, it may help. If you have done that, keep messaging them until someone responds. Do not give up.
Take Care,
Elizabeth
Meanwhile, bridgette, you’ve opened yourself up to harrassment via phone and email! Maybe even in person! Good grief!
I am just stupefied by what you wrote.
You complain about being harrassed on the internet and yet you include your full name, phone number and email address. That info was not even needed in order to ask Elizabeth for advice on what to do.
Are you extending an invitation to the world and all the other people who might want to “harrass” you?
On the other hand maybe you are giving out that info hoping that someone will reveal information about themselves when they contact you – and perhaps YOU will turn out to be the internet stalker. It could work either way.
Please, readers, do NOT contact bridgette! You could be putting yourselves at risk.
Bridgette, I am going to contact the owners of this blog and ask them to remove your personal information for your own safety.
And please, in future, do NOT give personal info of any kind out on the net ANYWHERE!
Elizabeth’s advice was very kind and very good.
Mine is simpler. USE YOUR HEAD (meaning some brains and common sense). And if you are really having trouble I do wish you well in clearing it up – but remind you that YOU have to take responsibility for your own internet safety too.
Okay? 🙂
Thanks m2c, when I read that yesterday, my concern was getting Bridgette the help she needed or get her pointed in the right direction with facebook and did not even think along these lines. But I agree, people should NOT leave their names, phone numbers, address or any of that on the internet. Especially on a public blog such as this which has been read by 365 other people already.
I am going to contact Blogger News and also ask them to remove this post. Chances are that these are not the numbers of Bridgette but could be for someone else.
Thanks m2c for catching that……now I am asking myself how I could be so blind…..was intent on getting her in the right direction for help…..
Never mind, I see Janny got it off of there. Thank you Janny! I will try and be more aware in the future…
Liz… you really need to learn something about the First Amendment.
Please help me. How can I get ahold of a “real” person at facebook? Someone has made a fake website on facebook about my 14 year old daughter and I need to end this and get justice.Thanks so much. God bless you
Ann
Leave A Reply