Government consider making online trolling illegal after Katie Price speaks out over abuse of son Harvey

Fiona Simpson11 February 2018
WEST END FINAL

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The Government will investigate making online trolling a criminal offence after Katie Price made an impassioned plea for thugs who targeted her son Harvey to be punished.

Ministers will now look into making cyberbullying an offence, Justice Secretary David Gauke has said.

The comments come after TV personality Ms Price gave evidence to a Commons committee on the issue after launching a campaign for tougher penalties for social media abuse.

Asked about Ms Price's campaign, Mr Gauke told ITV's Peston On Sunday: "I think we have to consider that. I mean what we see is some appalling behaviour on social media."

Katie Price has called for trolling to be made illegal (Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)
Getty Images

Ms Price told the Commons Petitions Committee last week that a line should be drawn between "banter" and criminal abuse but the law had failed to keep up with the changing use of technology.

Her 15-year-old son Harvey - who is partially blind, autistic and has Prader-Willi syndrome - was targeted on Twitter last year by an unnamed 19-year-old who received a caution from Sussex Police.

Kaite Price in the House of Commons
Parliament Live / House of Commons

But Ms Price told MPs that police had been powerless to act in other cases.

She said: “I’ve got five children and all of the online abuse is only against one of my children. He gets mocked for his size, the way his eyes are, the colour of his skin. I kept reporting people and reporting people but then those get closed down and reopened so it started again.

“I got loads together and I went to the police, twice. They’ve arrested two people with all of their computers and phones and everything. But they couldn’t charge them with anything because there’s nothing in place.”

The 39-year-old is also mother to Junior, 12, Princess, 10, Jett, four, and three-year-old Bunny.

The former model also wants to see the creation of a register of offenders.

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