True Crime Online Newsletter - February 10, 2014
I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .Alabama high schooler told to apologize for 'selfie' with cadaver
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2014/02/0
A high school senior in Alabama has been told to apologize to the University of Alabama at Birmingham for taking a self portrait, or "selfie," with a cadaver.
The Clements High School student, whose name was not reported, was on a field trip at UAB on Monday when she posed with the dead body, AL.com reported.
She then posted the photo to Instagram.
"We were very disappointed and shocked that it happened and embarrassed by it," said Limestone County Schools Superintendent Dr. Tom Sisk. "It reiterates a need for us to focus more on digital citizenship. Kids make a snapshot decision in an instant without realizing the effects."
When the high school was notified of the photo, officials discussed the matter with officials at UAB, Sisk said.
"We agreed the appropriate response would be a verbal and a written apology," Sisk said.
The student will issue an apology at the university to the staff involved and deliver a letter of apology, he said.
UAB released a statement Tuesday: "Tours of our facilities to introduce students -- primarily high school seniors -- to the teaching and research we do, play an important role in educating future scientists and doctors. Our policies require discretion and respect in our human anatomy facilities. No phones are allowed, no photos are to be taken, and faces of cadavers are covered. A student was made explicitly aware of these policies and breached them. This kind of disrespect is unacceptable and very disappointing. We will review our processes to ensure this does not happen again."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Visit WHOA on the web at http://www.haltabuse.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
NEWS TO USE AND PASS ALONG!
(DISCLAIMER: The following news items were found on the web and were not written or endorsed by WHO@; they are for informational purposes only)
'This is torture,' says mother of girl exposed to hurtful, vulgar cyberbullying comments - 02/10/14
http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/i
It started with the kinds of spats that Tara Bentley said she knows a lot of kids have. Worry crept in, she said, when the spats involving her daughter Cora, then a sixth-grader, progressed to verbal threats. And when vulgar comments started coming in emails and showing up on Facebook pages, Bentley said she knew not only Cora, but her whole family, was a victim of cyberbullying.
Mother says cyber bullying Twitter account targeted her daughter - 02/10/14
http://www.wrdw.com/home/headlines/Moth
"I came home from work and my 16 year old daughter who is a junior in school was upstairs just crying," said Lynda Tesney. "And she said, look what somebody said about me." "And then we noticed that there was a bunch of tweets about a bunch of different children saying some really ugly, explicit stuff about them," Tesney explained.
Cracking down on cellphone use in the classroom to deter cyberbullying in Tri-State area schools - 02/10/14
http://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/edu
Chambersburg (Pa.) Area Senior High School last week toughened its punishment for violating the school’s cellphone policy in an effort to crack down on cyberbullying at the school of more than 2,000 students in Franklin County.
A third of Israelis suffer online bullying - 02/10/14
http://www.timesofisrael.com/a-thir
Around the world and in Israel, Tuesday marks Safer Internet Day but for many Israelis, the Internet is anything but safe. According to statistics gathered by the Israel Internet Association (ISOC), nearly one third of Israelis 32% said that they had been victims of online bullying in 2013.
Internet pranksters get even with anti-gay, racist restaurant owner - 02/09/14
http://www.wisconsingazette.com/wig
Internet pranksters have flooded Yelp with reviews lauding an Enid, Okla., diner as the best gay bar in town. The campaign is designed to taunt the diner’s right-wing owner Gary James, an anti-gay, white supremacist who refuses to serve gays and other minorities.
Police advice for those suffering bullying on Facebook: 'Close your account' - 02/08/14
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.u
Police have been forced to apologise after sparking outrage over cyber bullying...on Twitter. A tweet appeared on GMP’s Salford Central feed on the social networking site yesterday saying: “POLICE NOTICE. “If you are being ‘Harassed’ on Facebook please follow these instructions: “1. Close your facebook account.” The post was retweeted more than 2,000 times including by the MP Stella Creasy and the comedian Al Murray.
Porn star becomes the face of group suing Match.com for $1.5billion - and you may recognize her because she claims her pictures have been used in 'hundreds of fake profiles' - 02/08/14
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art
A porn star has joined the multibillion-dollar lawsuit against Match.com accusing the website of defrauding its heart-seeking users. 'Melissa Midwest' Harrington, 31, has now taken over from part-time Florida model Yuliana Avalos to become the face of the lawsuit. The class-action trademark-infringement suit accuses the internet dating giant of posting tens of thousands of fake dating profiles.
Romanian admits to online car scheme - 02/07/14
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stori
A Romanian man has admitted his role in a scheme where buyers were duped into paying money for automobiles they had seen for sale online but never received. Federal prosecutors said Friday that 34-year-old Alexander Stanciu (STAN'-choo) of Bucharest, Romania, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud.
B&B owners who took on TripAdvisor over faceless reviewers left 'crushed' as judge says he has no power to make web giant reveal the names of critics - 02/07/14
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
The owners of a Scottish B&B last night accused TripAdvisor of operating ‘above the law’ after the couple lost a bitter legal wrangle over bad reviews posted on the global travel guide. Martin and Jacqui Clark went to court in an attempt to force the £3billion organisation to disclose details of the writers of two negative online posts so they can sue the authors.
Former Milton Keynes worker ordered to end cyber stalking campaign against former colleagues - or she faces jail - 02/07/14
http://www.mkweb.co.uk/News/Ex-worker-o
A rogue web designer who became a Facebook troll and conducted an obsessive ‘cyber-stalking’ campaign against former colleagues has been ordered to desist - or go to jail. Disgruntled IT expert Irena Ponomareva began a five-year online hate campaign, calling one female former workmate a ‘pimp’ and sniping about another woman’s sex life, after she lost her job a web designer with Milton Keynes based SunGard Systems Ltd in 2008.
When bullying becomes harassment - 02/07/14
http://kimt.com/2014/02/07/when-bullyin
As social media becomes more prevalent today, so do the harassing messages exchanged and it’s not just young people anymore. Mason City Police say they’ve seen an increase in the number of online harassment claims over the past few years. They say although the number of charges actually filed by victims is low, issuing harsher penalties can force folks to take the issue more seriously.
Wake teacher assistant charged with cyber-bullying - 02/07/14
http://www.wral.com/wake-teacher-assist
A Wake County elementary school teacher assistant is accused of cyber-bullying her ex-boyfriend and his family. Catherine Louise Sartain, 36, of the 7000 block of Blue Water Court in Holly Springs, was charged Jan. 30 with two counts of cyber-bullying and five counts of cyber-stalking.
Mother faces paying £20,000 damages over Facebook 'libel' - 02/07/14
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/mothe
A mother faces paying more than £20,000 in damages to a school governor in a landmark libel case over comments allegedly posted on her private Facebook page. Fitness instructor Sharon Smith is accused of making remarks about Joanne Walder to her friends on the social networking website. Ms Walder said the comments were untrue and unfounded, and launched legal action in the High Court.
Leominster restaurant owners join others accusing man of harassment - 02/06/14
http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/ne
More restaurant owners are filing harassment orders against the Leominster man who posed as the owner of the Ugly Omlet online last year and posted racist and vulgar remarks online. On Monday, Erica and Jared Grinkis, who own the GazBar sports grill restaurant on Central Street, received a harassment-prevention order against Aaron Arsenault on grounds he allegedly posted vulgar insults and fake complaints about the restaurant online in retaliation for refusing to buy advertising space from him.
Woman jailed for trolling HERSELF: 24-year-old bombarded her own Facebook page with fake abuse in a bid to incriminate her estranged family - 02/06/14
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
A woman has become the first person in Britain to be jailed for trolling herself – after bombarding her own Facebook page with abuse. Michelle Chapman, 24, launched her bizarre online campaign after falling out with her father and new stepmother, a court heard. She created bogus Facebook accounts for the couple and other family members and sent herself hundreds of vile sexual taunts.
Cyberstalking charges in Vanc. VA shooting - 02/05/14
http://www.kgw.com/news/Vet-Affairs-vic
The woman who allegedly shot a Vancouver Veterans Affairs worker twice in the chest Tuesday was discharged from the hospital and taken to jail on charges including attempted murder and cyberstalking
Police investigating online harassment of Pasadena woman - 02/05/14
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/pas
In early January, a woman reported to Pasadena police that she had been the victim of online harassment when she found herself listed on a personal add website. The woman told police that during a 10-hour period, she discovered that her name and personal information on Craigslist.
'Highly dangerous' neknomination drinking game craze claims its first two lives in Ireland as one man drowns and another found dead in Dublin house - 02/04/14
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
Two young men died in Ireland over the weekend, both suspected victims of the 'NekNominate' drinking craze. Ross Cummins, 22, was found unconscious in a house in Dublin in the early hours of Saturday morning and died later in hospital amid reports he was drinking spirits at the time of his death. Hours later, the body of Jonny Byrne, 19, was discovered floating in the river at Milford Bridge in County Carlow after apparently jumping in as part of a nomination.
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2014/02/0
A high school senior in Alabama has been told to apologize to the University of Alabama at Birmingham for taking a self portrait, or "selfie," with a cadaver.
The Clements High School student, whose name was not reported, was on a field trip at UAB on Monday when she posed with the dead body, AL.com reported.
She then posted the photo to Instagram.
"We were very disappointed and shocked that it happened and embarrassed by it," said Limestone County Schools Superintendent Dr. Tom Sisk. "It reiterates a need for us to focus more on digital citizenship. Kids make a snapshot decision in an instant without realizing the effects."
When the high school was notified of the photo, officials discussed the matter with officials at UAB, Sisk said.
"We agreed the appropriate response would be a verbal and a written apology," Sisk said.
The student will issue an apology at the university to the staff involved and deliver a letter of apology, he said.
UAB released a statement Tuesday: "Tours of our facilities to introduce students -- primarily high school seniors -- to the teaching and research we do, play an important role in educating future scientists and doctors. Our policies require discretion and respect in our human anatomy facilities. No phones are allowed, no photos are to be taken, and faces of cadavers are covered. A student was made explicitly aware of these policies and breached them. This kind of disrespect is unacceptable and very disappointing. We will review our processes to ensure this does not happen again."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Visit WHOA on the web at http://www.haltabuse.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
NEWS TO USE AND PASS ALONG!
(DISCLAIMER: The following news items were found on the web and were not written or endorsed by WHO@; they are for informational purposes only)
'This is torture,' says mother of girl exposed to hurtful, vulgar cyberbullying comments - 02/10/14
http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/i
It started with the kinds of spats that Tara Bentley said she knows a lot of kids have. Worry crept in, she said, when the spats involving her daughter Cora, then a sixth-grader, progressed to verbal threats. And when vulgar comments started coming in emails and showing up on Facebook pages, Bentley said she knew not only Cora, but her whole family, was a victim of cyberbullying.
Mother says cyber bullying Twitter account targeted her daughter - 02/10/14
http://www.wrdw.com/home/headlines/Moth
"I came home from work and my 16 year old daughter who is a junior in school was upstairs just crying," said Lynda Tesney. "And she said, look what somebody said about me." "And then we noticed that there was a bunch of tweets about a bunch of different children saying some really ugly, explicit stuff about them," Tesney explained.
Cracking down on cellphone use in the classroom to deter cyberbullying in Tri-State area schools - 02/10/14
http://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/edu
Chambersburg (Pa.) Area Senior High School last week toughened its punishment for violating the school’s cellphone policy in an effort to crack down on cyberbullying at the school of more than 2,000 students in Franklin County.
A third of Israelis suffer online bullying - 02/10/14
http://www.timesofisrael.com/a-thir
Around the world and in Israel, Tuesday marks Safer Internet Day but for many Israelis, the Internet is anything but safe. According to statistics gathered by the Israel Internet Association (ISOC), nearly one third of Israelis 32% said that they had been victims of online bullying in 2013.
Internet pranksters get even with anti-gay, racist restaurant owner - 02/09/14
http://www.wisconsingazette.com/wig
Internet pranksters have flooded Yelp with reviews lauding an Enid, Okla., diner as the best gay bar in town. The campaign is designed to taunt the diner’s right-wing owner Gary James, an anti-gay, white supremacist who refuses to serve gays and other minorities.
Police advice for those suffering bullying on Facebook: 'Close your account' - 02/08/14
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.u
Police have been forced to apologise after sparking outrage over cyber bullying...on Twitter. A tweet appeared on GMP’s Salford Central feed on the social networking site yesterday saying: “POLICE NOTICE. “If you are being ‘Harassed’ on Facebook please follow these instructions: “1. Close your facebook account.” The post was retweeted more than 2,000 times including by the MP Stella Creasy and the comedian Al Murray.
Porn star becomes the face of group suing Match.com for $1.5billion - and you may recognize her because she claims her pictures have been used in 'hundreds of fake profiles' - 02/08/14
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art
A porn star has joined the multibillion-dollar lawsuit against Match.com accusing the website of defrauding its heart-seeking users. 'Melissa Midwest' Harrington, 31, has now taken over from part-time Florida model Yuliana Avalos to become the face of the lawsuit. The class-action trademark-infringement suit accuses the internet dating giant of posting tens of thousands of fake dating profiles.
Romanian admits to online car scheme - 02/07/14
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stori
A Romanian man has admitted his role in a scheme where buyers were duped into paying money for automobiles they had seen for sale online but never received. Federal prosecutors said Friday that 34-year-old Alexander Stanciu (STAN'-choo) of Bucharest, Romania, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud.
B&B owners who took on TripAdvisor over faceless reviewers left 'crushed' as judge says he has no power to make web giant reveal the names of critics - 02/07/14
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
The owners of a Scottish B&B last night accused TripAdvisor of operating ‘above the law’ after the couple lost a bitter legal wrangle over bad reviews posted on the global travel guide. Martin and Jacqui Clark went to court in an attempt to force the £3billion organisation to disclose details of the writers of two negative online posts so they can sue the authors.
Former Milton Keynes worker ordered to end cyber stalking campaign against former colleagues - or she faces jail - 02/07/14
http://www.mkweb.co.uk/News/Ex-worker-o
A rogue web designer who became a Facebook troll and conducted an obsessive ‘cyber-stalking’ campaign against former colleagues has been ordered to desist - or go to jail. Disgruntled IT expert Irena Ponomareva began a five-year online hate campaign, calling one female former workmate a ‘pimp’ and sniping about another woman’s sex life, after she lost her job a web designer with Milton Keynes based SunGard Systems Ltd in 2008.
When bullying becomes harassment - 02/07/14
http://kimt.com/2014/02/07/when-bullyin
As social media becomes more prevalent today, so do the harassing messages exchanged and it’s not just young people anymore. Mason City Police say they’ve seen an increase in the number of online harassment claims over the past few years. They say although the number of charges actually filed by victims is low, issuing harsher penalties can force folks to take the issue more seriously.
Wake teacher assistant charged with cyber-bullying - 02/07/14
http://www.wral.com/wake-teacher-assist
A Wake County elementary school teacher assistant is accused of cyber-bullying her ex-boyfriend and his family. Catherine Louise Sartain, 36, of the 7000 block of Blue Water Court in Holly Springs, was charged Jan. 30 with two counts of cyber-bullying and five counts of cyber-stalking.
Mother faces paying £20,000 damages over Facebook 'libel' - 02/07/14
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/mothe
A mother faces paying more than £20,000 in damages to a school governor in a landmark libel case over comments allegedly posted on her private Facebook page. Fitness instructor Sharon Smith is accused of making remarks about Joanne Walder to her friends on the social networking website. Ms Walder said the comments were untrue and unfounded, and launched legal action in the High Court.
Leominster restaurant owners join others accusing man of harassment - 02/06/14
http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/ne
More restaurant owners are filing harassment orders against the Leominster man who posed as the owner of the Ugly Omlet online last year and posted racist and vulgar remarks online. On Monday, Erica and Jared Grinkis, who own the GazBar sports grill restaurant on Central Street, received a harassment-prevention order against Aaron Arsenault on grounds he allegedly posted vulgar insults and fake complaints about the restaurant online in retaliation for refusing to buy advertising space from him.
Woman jailed for trolling HERSELF: 24-year-old bombarded her own Facebook page with fake abuse in a bid to incriminate her estranged family - 02/06/14
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
A woman has become the first person in Britain to be jailed for trolling herself – after bombarding her own Facebook page with abuse. Michelle Chapman, 24, launched her bizarre online campaign after falling out with her father and new stepmother, a court heard. She created bogus Facebook accounts for the couple and other family members and sent herself hundreds of vile sexual taunts.
Cyberstalking charges in Vanc. VA shooting - 02/05/14
http://www.kgw.com/news/Vet-Affairs-vic
The woman who allegedly shot a Vancouver Veterans Affairs worker twice in the chest Tuesday was discharged from the hospital and taken to jail on charges including attempted murder and cyberstalking
Police investigating online harassment of Pasadena woman - 02/05/14
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/pas
In early January, a woman reported to Pasadena police that she had been the victim of online harassment when she found herself listed on a personal add website. The woman told police that during a 10-hour period, she discovered that her name and personal information on Craigslist.
'Highly dangerous' neknomination drinking game craze claims its first two lives in Ireland as one man drowns and another found dead in Dublin house - 02/04/14
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
Two young men died in Ireland over the weekend, both suspected victims of the 'NekNominate' drinking craze. Ross Cummins, 22, was found unconscious in a house in Dublin in the early hours of Saturday morning and died later in hospital amid reports he was drinking spirits at the time of his death. Hours later, the body of Jonny Byrne, 19, was discovered floating in the river at Milford Bridge in County Carlow after apparently jumping in as part of a nomination.
Comments