Abstract
This article will critically evaluate the Crown Prosecution Service guidelines concerning grossly offensive comments made via social media. Abusive comments conducted online have recently dominated newspaper headlines. The Crown Prosecution Service has attempted to give clear advice to prosecutors as to when a comment made online will go from being one that is simply offensive, to one that is so grossly offensive it warrants criminal prosecution. The guidelines were first created in 2013 and updated in 2016. This article will critically examine the guidelines and grossly offensive comments made online and consider whether a coherent and accessible document has been created.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 173-188 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Journal of Media Law |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 3 Oct 2017 |
Keywords
- Social media
- grossly offensive comments
- CPS guidelines
- Malicious Communications Act 1988
- Communications Act 2003
Access to Document
- Bliss_The_crown_prosecution_guidelines_and_grossly_offensive_comment_Journal_of_Media_Law_2017
Checked for eligibility: 03/09/2019 This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Media Law on 03/10/2017, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/17577632.2017.1369574