- D
I am George Madgwick. Many of you will have arrived here after seeing my recent Facebook post about the Name and Shame Facebook page in Portsmouth.
This GoFundMe will cover the initial costs required to submit an application to the Kings Bench in London. A very kind local civil law solicitor and firm have offered to take on the legal work on a pro bono basis, which means they will not charge for the time spent preparing or processing the claim. We only need to raise funds for the court fee itself and any associated costs that may arise. If we raise more than is required, every remaining penny will be donated to local charities. All financial information and payments will be published openly and transparently at each step
.
The Name and Shame page has been active for years, causing significant emotional stress and harm to many ordinary residents. The page is run by an anonymous male who uses fake accounts to harass, dox and defame local people. The large audience he has built makes his behaviour even more damaging.
Recently the page threatened to sue me for a statement that I believe to be true. After I posted about this on Facebook, I received a very large number of messages from people who have suffered serious harm as a result of this page, including incidents that have led to long term distress.
There have been many police reports, but the police have been unable to act because the Online Safety Act sets the threshold for prosecuting anonymous accounts so high that charges are almost impossible. Both the police and legal experts have advised that civil action is the most realistic route. However, you cannot begin civil proceedings without knowing the identity of the person responsible.
This is why we are seeking a Norwich Order. This is a court order issued by the High Court in London, allowing a judge to review the evidence and, if satisfied, order Meta to release the information they hold about the anonymous individual. This can include:
- The real identity of the person
- All accounts previously used by the individual
- Any connected pages
- Email addresses
- Phone numbers
- Payment details
- All relevant IP addresses
With this information we can:
- Provide the full details to the police so they can act on previous crime reports and investigate the individual for multiple malicious communication and harassment complaints. The individual may also be responsible for incidents of violence and harm that occurred following posts on the page.
- Bring together all victims into a joint civil action so that every person who has been harmed, harassed, defamed or doxxed can pursue a single claim. This will ensure that the individual is held legally accountable and can face significant financial penalties.
This situation never needed to reach this point. The operator of the page chose to present himself as a local online vigilante, acting as though his personal opinions sit above the law. His actions have caused real and lasting damage to many residents. It is time that he is held to account.
Thank you for supporting this effort and for standing up for the people who have been harmed.
Organizer
George Madgwick
Organizer