FACEBOOK STALKER JAILED FOR ABUSING WOMAN
A man labeled as a 'cowardly predator' serving a prison sentence for cyber-stalking a disabled online abuse campaigner has been convicted.Nicky Wright, 39, from Lewisham, London, was found guilty of stalking Nicola Brookes from Brighton.
Despite not meeting Ms Brookes face-to-face, Wright engaged in online harassment by trolling her, posting defamatory blogs, and creating disturbing images, Brighton Magistrates' Court was told.
After being convicted in absence, Wright turned himself in and received a six-month jail term at sentencing this week, along with a restraining order to protect Ms Brookes.
District Judge Amanda Kelly described the stalking as extremely serious, calling Wright a 'cowardly predator' who used the anonymity of the internet for a deeply personal and malicious campaign.
She stated that he intentionally avoided court because he lacked the courage to confront his victim directly.
Ms Brookes’s victim impact statement recounted her experience of being targeted across various platforms, including 28 Twitter accounts, 25 Facebook profiles, blogs, online radio stations, and video channels, over a period from June 2016 to September last year.
She explained that Wright manipulated her comments, made sexually suggestive remarks, and sent hate mail.
The harassment severely affected her mental health, shattered her faith in humanity, worsened her Crohn’s disease, and left her feeling insecure and vulnerable.
During court proceedings, Wright, who used the social media alias 'Prickly Finger,' expressed concern about press presence and wished to keep certain information from becoming public, then pleaded guilty to missing the trial.
He admitted that he overslept, and during sentencing, he sat with his fingers in his ears and made obscene gestures as he was led away.
Post-trial, Ms Brookes said "It should not have taken three years and 12 different officers for the case to come to court," she said "The onus is on the victim to prove the crime and gather evidence.
I was sending officers around 150 screenshots a day of his persistent behaviour." She added: "I repeatedly reported his comments to Facebook and Twitter but they said it did not breach their standards." In 2012, Ms Brookes led a significant civil legal action demanding Facebook reveal identities of her online harassers.
