WHO@ Newsletter - November 28, 2011
I couldn't make this up if I tried...Low quality spares pot grower jail
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2011/11/2
Prosecutors in Sweden said a man on trial for growing marijuana was spared jail due to the low quality of his plants.
The Varmland court heard the 35-year-old man had grown the plants at his home for his personal use before they were discovered by police and he was arrested, The Local reported Friday.
However, tests conducted on the plants found very low levels of Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the main active ingredient in marijuana, so the man was spared a prison sentence, prosecutors said.
"That's an evaluation that the court will make. If (the drugs) don't work, it could lead to a milder sentence," said Sara Malmhester of the Swedish Prosecution Authority. "The level (of THC) in the drugs affects the sentence, since a better plant produces more of the drug to be abused."
Prosecutor Ludmila Pronko said it was "reasonable" to spare prison in this case.
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(DISCLAIMER: The following news items were found on the web and were not written or endorsed by WHO@; they are for informational purposes only)
Home Office official suspended over Katherine Jenkins cyber stalking claims - 11/27/11
http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/201
A Home Office official who has allegedly waged a year-long internet campaign on opera star Katherine Jenkins has been suspended. Geraldine Curtis, 43, of South London, is being investigated over whether she “cyber-bullied” the singer on Twitter and on a blog. A tirade of insults were sent on Twitter by someone called KJMezzo.
UK paedophile with HIV, 30, caught in police sting after arranging online to have sex with children - 11/26/11
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/arti
A paedophile with HIV who arranged online to have sex with three young children has been jailed after not realising he was talking to an undercover policeman. Steven King, who worked in the accounts department in a solicitors' office, made the two hour journey from his home thinking he was going to abuse the children aged five, six and 10.
Facebook faces a crackdown on selling users' secrets to advertisers - 11/26/11
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/f
The European Commission is planning to stop the way the website "eavesdrops" on its users to gather information about their political opinions, sexuality, religious beliefs – and even their whereabouts. Using sophisticated software, the firm harvests information from people's activities on the social networking site – whatever their individual privacy settings – and make it available to advertisers.
Police say man faces cyberstalking charges after making Facebook threats - 11/25/11
http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20
Deputies with the St. Martin Parish Sheriff's Office arrested Ross Alexander, 30, St. Martinville, Nov. 23 for allegedly threatening two St. Martin Parish Sheriff's Office narcotic agents via Facebook.
Morehead man indicted for cyberstalking - 11/25/11
http://themoreheadnews.com/local/x67375
A Morehead man was indicted by a Rowan County grand jury on Nov. 18 for allegedly trying to lure whom he thought was an underage female to engage in sexual activity. John G. Moran, 46, was indicted for unlawful use of electronic means to induce a minor to engage in sexual or other prohibited activities.
Review after cleaner 'contacted patient' on Facebook - 11/25/11
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-e
A full review of security has been carried out by NHS Lothian after a hospital cleaner allegedly used information about a female patient to contact her on Facebook.
Drugmaker Merck challenges Facebook after 'losing' page - 11/25/11
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15
The German drugmaker Merck KGaA has begun legal action against Facebook after discovering what its lawyer described as the "the apparent takeover of its Facebook page". The webpage is being used by the German firm's US rival Merck & Co.
‘We don’t need that rat!’ Women weighing 20 and 22 stone tell how they became friends after disastrous relationships with love cheat who 'preys on the vulnerable' - 11/25/11
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/femail/ar
Two 20-stone women targeted by a philanderer with a fetish for overweight lovers have joined forces and dumped him from their lives. Angry Amanda Hart, who at 20-stone is two stones lighter than her one-time love rival Michelle Flack, says her ex used her weight as a way of controlling her when she was at her lowest.
The holidaymakers' blackmail: Hotel guests using threat of poor TripAdvisor reviews to demand free upgrades and refunds - 11/23/11
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
Guests are using the threat of a bad review on TripAdvisor to blackmail hotels into giving discounts or upgrades – even when there is nothing wrong with their stay, according to owners. Among the claims, by about 80 hotel and bed-and-breakfast owners, is the case of a guest threatening to write a poor review if they did not receive a 50 per cent discount.
College Place woman gets 7 years for 10 crimes - 11/23/11
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/20
A College Place woman convicted in a jury trial last month of 10 crimes including cyberstalking and making bomb threats to local judges was sentenced Monday to seven years in prison. At the urging of the prosecution, an unrepentant Kathy A. Hendrickson was ordered to serve the top end of the standard sentencing range of 63-84 months she faced. She also was placed on a year of community custody, a form of probation, after her release.
Naperville man found guilty in NIU cyber stalking case - 11/22/11
http://napervillesun.suntimes.com/n
A 25-year-old Naperville man has been sentenced to 10 days in DeKalb County Jail, after being convicted in a case involving computer messages sent to his former girlfriend, a Northern Illinois University co-ed. Travis Edwards, who last lived on the 200 block of Bay Colony Drive in central Naperville, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of attempted cyber stalking, according to records on file in DeKalb County Circuit Court.
International Cyber-Stalker Attacks Former Binghamton Man - 11/22/11
http://www.wicz.com/news2005/viewarticl
The Internet has made a lot of things easier for us like shopping, banking, or dating. However, it's also made things easier for criminals. Allowing them to easily commit fraud, identity theft and cyber-stalking. Former Binghamton resident, filmmaker Christopher Johnson, says he has become the latest in a long list of victims to be targeted by a cyber-stalker who has harassed at least 15 people, including the family of Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange.
Woman jailed for stealing $1 million from Mark Twain House - 11/22/11
http://news.yahoo.com/woman-jailed-stea
A former employee of author Mark Twain's historic Connecticut home who admitted to embezzling more than $1 million from it in a long-running scheme was sentenced on Monday to 3-1/2 years in prison and ordered to pay restitution of and taxes on the stolen funds.
Gamers caught in Xbox cyber fraud - 11/22/11
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne
ONLINE crooks have hacked into thousands of Xbox Live accounts to steal millions of pounds. The average loss to gamers in the UK is around £100 but many have had more than £200 stolen. Bosses at Xbox Live operator Microsoft were last night probing the cyber thefts.
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