Facebook death threats man jailed

[Bald Bouncer]

A British man who threatened to kill 200 people in the US in posts he made under a false name on Facebook, has been jailed for more than two years.

Reece Elliott, 24, of Foss Way, South Shields, made the threat in February on an online memorial page to a Tennessee girl who was killed in a car crash.

About 3,000 pupils in Warren County missed school the next day as a result.

Elliott, who pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown Court in April, was jailed for two years and four months.

The father-of-one admitted one count of making a threat to kill and eight of sending grossly offensive messages. He had been held in custody since his arrest in February.

Elliott targeted a tribute page to 17-year-old Caitlin Talley, a popular pupil at Warren County High, who had died in a car accident in October.

Schools 'lockdown'

Using a false name, he wrote on the RIP Caitlin Talley page: "My father has three guns. I'm planning on killing him first and putting him in a dumpster.

"Then I'm taking the motor and I'm going in fast. I'm gonna kill hopefully at least 200 before I kill myself. So you want to tell the deputy, I'm on my way."

Using the same pseudonym, Elliott then posted the threats about driving into school.

He said: "I'm killing 200 people minimum at school. I will be on CNN."

At his first appearance at South Tyneside Magistrates' Court in February, Gary Buckley, prosecuting, said: "The residents of Warren County and all the people who have access to the Facebook page were clearly concerned.

"I am told that the local authority immediately put all the local schools in the area on what was called lockdown.

"Because of the hysteria caused, around 3,000 children were kept off school on that specific day."

BBC News

[Northernbloke]

Stupid thing to do, but only to be expected they were going to make an example of him over it. Sentence is more than double what I'd thought he might get though

[BertRoot]

Got more than Stuart Hall for not actually physically doing anything. Bravo Justice!

[CzarJunkie]

The world has gone fucking mad.

[Mule]

Yanks are never good at getting our subtle british humour.

[macmilm]

If the threats had been made against a school that was in any other country he would have got suspended or a few months tops...