A COUNCILLOR was named as an internet troll during a debate about online abuse and cyberbullying.
Tony Dawson, a Lib Dem Dukes Ward councillor and caseworker for Southport MP John Pugh, was named through a motion submitted at a full Sefton council meeting at Southport Town Hall.
The motion, submitted by Conservative party leader Terry Jones, requested that the council ‘recognise the devastating effect of the disgraceful and cowardly act of malicious trolling and cyberbullying.’
And when he was asked if the motion applied to a specific person or website Cllr Jones named Tony Dawson.
Cllr Jones said that trolling is an issue that causes a lot of upset for a lot of people.
Over the years Cllr Jones said he had seen many councillors going about doing their job, and become victim to attacks on the internet by trolls. These included Brenda Porter and Mark Dowd.
He said: “Recently on the library issue, where apparently I voted to close all the libraries, we had the issue where a certain troll or a couple of trolls constantly put this information on websites.
“This led to someone in very large letters saying ‘Councillor Terry Jones lives 100 yards away from the library, here is his address, he has young children’. This caused great alarm for my family.
“This is not just an issue locally but nationally and it needs to be addressed and is why we need strong legislation to stop this sort of behaviour.
“I do not have issues with people putting things on the internet as long as they are brave enough to put it in their own name rather than a pseudonym.”
Cllr Jones said that with the council dragged into a situation like this and councillors accused of being trolls, it does nothing for Sefton’s reputation.
He added: “How can we have the respect of the residents if we have councillors behaving like this?”
Councillor Ted Hartill asked whether the motion related to a particular website or person.
Cllr Jones responded; “Yes, the local website is Q local – there are a few pseudonyms about, Cherrie Brandy, Prasnee, Garageman – the personal view of those residents that have contacted me have accused Councillor Dawson of being this one person.”
Lib Dem leader Ian Brodie Brown accused Cllr Jones of naming Cllr Dawson in a ‘cheeky and vile way.’
He added: “What Councillor Jones has put before us is an assertion that someone should have a penalty act against them before they have been found guilty. This goes against the Magna Carta.
“It goes against the whole nature of what British justice is.”
In a right of reply Cllr Dawson said: “I think we have sensible things to discuss in this chamber tonight.
“I am not going to waste any more of this organisation’s time with Councillor Jones.”
Sefton Council and Labour leader Peter Dowd said what they are not going to do ‘is get involved in naming names,’ with ‘the very nature of trolling is that you personalise it.’
“We do have to recognise that this is very serious. People do commit suicide and get stressed. Their self esteem is bashed by it from this sort of thing,” added Cllr Dowd.
“The issue of mental health being raised tonight is a living example of what bullying can do. It can destroy peoples lives.
“This motion is the sort of thing that we need, and to say in a public statement, that we do not like people being abused on a website, constantly day-in-day-out, relentlessly – it is unacceptable.
“As public servants, in particular, if we are found guilty of trolling you should leave the council chamber, close the door behind you and not come back.”
The motion was unanimously accepted by councillors.
It means that any councillor caught or proven to have taken part in malicious trolling will not be allowed to stand for election, and will also be removed from their position on the council.