Could trolling become a thing of the past?

[diane]

http://politics.slashdot.org/story/11/09/14/0334200/UK-Man-Jailed-For-Being-a-Jerk-On-the-Internet?utm_source=slashdot&utm_medium=facebook

A man in the UK has been jailed for 18 weeks for 'trolling,' and has also been given an order banning him from using social networking sites for five years. 25-year-old Sean Duffy mocked a dead teenager who had jumped in front a train by posting offensive remarks on a page dedicated to her memory, and creating a YouTube parody of Thomas the Tank with the deceased girl's face in place of Thomas. Is it about time trolling to this extent saw this kind of punishment, or is this punishment simply too harsh for someone who perhaps didn't realize how seriously his actions would be taken by the authorities?"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-14897948

[dorbel]

Prosecution and punishment likely to end criminal behaviour? It hasn't worked for any other kind of crime, so it seems unlikely that it will work for "sending communications of an indecent or offensive nature", which is what he was actually convicted of. As to whether prison is the best solution for somebody so obviously mentally ill, that's another matter.
No doubt some fibsters will call this censorship and an infringement of his right to free speech. Much more serious though, is that the girl who was mocked after killing herself, appears to have committed suicide as a result of cyber bullying, potentially and in this case actually more dangerous than the crap that this guy posted. Where is the action on that?