Close X
Saturday, December 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

Western Newfoundland Police Look Into Possible Cyberbullying, 'Ugly Girl' List

The Canadian Press, 31 Dec, 2015 12:29 PM
    PORT AUX BASQUES, N.L. — Police in western Newfoundland are investigating a possible case of cyberbullying at a junior high school, weeks after another student drew attention to a similar anonymous online poll ranking girls based on their looks.
     
    The RCMP in Port aux Basques said Thursday that they're looking into the posting of a list of the "ugliest girls" in Grade 9 at St. James Elementary.
     
    Sgt. Terry Alexander said they received a call about the posting on Dec. 18 and have been interviewing people in hopes of tracing the origin of the post.
     
    "We're still trying to determine who posted it on Facebook," he said. "We have no idea."
     
    They say the poll was posted on Facebook on Dec. 17 and Alexander thought it involved about a half dozen girls.
     
    "Obviously these girls saw it," he said.
     
    Lynelle Cantwell of Holy Trinity High in Torbay, N.L.,  made national headlines earlier this month after a similar list of the "ugliest girls" in the Grade 12 was posted to the social media site ask.fm.
     
    She gained national support after she took to Facebook to denounce the poll and its creators in a post that has been shared thousands of times.
     
     
    "I'm sorry that your life is so miserable that you have to try to bring others down," she said in her response. "To the 12 people that voted for me to bring me to 4th place, I'm sorry for you too. I'm sorry that you don't get to know me as a person."
     
    Police are investigating the case, but legal experts have said a criminal conviction is unlikely.
     
    Dalhousie University law professor Wayne MacKay said current federal cyberbullying laws only cover online sharing of intimate images, sometimes referred to as "revenge porn."
     
    Michael Lacy, a criminal defence lawyer and vice-president of the Criminal Lawyers Association of Ontario, agreed and said the Criminal Code hasn't yet caught up to the technological age.
     
    Both said while this might not fit the criminal definition of cyberbullying, police could consider charges for criminal harassment, though that's a charge that generally requires the victim to fear for their livelihood.
     
    Both experts agreed any sanctions arising from the incident would most likely be decided by the schools.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Seven In Critical Condition After Crash Near Merritt, B.C.

    Seven In Critical Condition After Crash Near Merritt, B.C.
    Six patients were taken to hospital by ground ambulance and another was taken by air.

    Seven In Critical Condition After Crash Near Merritt, B.C.

    Small Plane Crash At Airport North Of Montreal Leaves Pilot Dead, Boy, 9, Injured

    Police say there were two men on the plane when it crashed late Monday afternoon and they were taken to hospital.

    Small Plane Crash At Airport North Of Montreal Leaves Pilot Dead, Boy, 9, Injured

    Critically Ill Alberta Baby Dies Before Expected Life-Support Ruling

    Critically Ill Alberta Baby Dies Before Expected Life-Support Ruling
    Hermella Mammo died Dec. 20 at the Alberta Children's Hospital in Calgary.

    Critically Ill Alberta Baby Dies Before Expected Life-Support Ruling

    Judge Makes Recommendations In Death Of Woman Sent Home From Hospital In Cab

    Judge Makes Recommendations In Death Of Woman Sent Home From Hospital In Cab
    WINNIPEG — A judge says the death of a senior hours after she was sent home from a Winnipeg hospital in a cab was not preventable.

    Judge Makes Recommendations In Death Of Woman Sent Home From Hospital In Cab

    Motorcycle Industry In Canada Shifts Gears As It Copes With Low Loonie

    Motorcycle Industry In Canada Shifts Gears As It Copes With Low Loonie
    Canada's dollar has fallen to 11-year lows this month, largely because of persistently weak oil prices, slow global economic growth and the comparative strength of the U.S. dollar against other currencies.

    Motorcycle Industry In Canada Shifts Gears As It Copes With Low Loonie

    Storm Warnings Issued In Southern Quebec After System Moves Through Ontario

    Storm Warnings Issued In Southern Quebec After System Moves Through Ontario
    A powerful storm system which dealt southern Ontario its first real blast of winter this season moved into southern Quebec on Tuesday, with meteorologists expecting it to hit Atlantic Canada later in the day.

    Storm Warnings Issued In Southern Quebec After System Moves Through Ontario