Friday 3 May 2013

'Make online bullying illegal': Ricky Gervais and Katie Price back autistic man's campaign



Ricky Gervais and Katie Price are just two of the celebrities who have openly backed Kevin's campaign to make bullying those suffering with learning disabilities illegal

She said: 'I support Kevin’s campaign for anti-autism bullying. So many people with autism get bullied.
'I do not want my son Harvey to grow up and be bullied and will not stand for it. Kevin is 38 and it’s disgraceful that ignorant and narrow minded people are bullying him and others.

'Kevin wants children and adults with learning difficulties to be better protected from bullying.'
Current law means that if a mentally disabled person reports bullying or harassment, police log it as a 'hate crime' but are not obliged to follow-up the complaint - unless violence is threatened. 
They are also powerless to act against people who troll from outside the UK.
Kevin wants police to be able to prosecute the perpetrators for these hate crimes, even if they do not physically hurt the person.




Melanie Sykes and ex-TOWIE star Lydia Bright are also supporting Kevin's plight. Lydia said: 'A law needs to be put in place to stop these criminals'
 

‘People who are autistic like me take things far more literally and become anxious much more easily than most,’ he said. 
‘Bullying behaviour such as taunting people in the street or sending offensive emails are distressing for everyone but it can affect those with learning disabilities far more.’
Kevin, a radio presenter from Stoke-on-Trent, is autistic and wants people with special needs to be better protected from bullies
Kevin, a radio presenter from Stoke-on-Trent, is autistic and wants people with special needs to be better protected from bullies
He has received backing for his campaign from numerous celebrities including Melanie Sykes, Luke Goss, Michael Barrymore and former TOWIE star Lydia Bright.
Alongside the celebrity support, Simon Sugar, Sir Alan Sugar's son, is helping Kevin organise the campaign.
Kevin, from Stoke-on-Trent, has been the victim of bullying since he was a child and continues to be cyber-bullied. Just 14 months ago he received a death threat via email.
Because the troll emailed him from abroad, police were unable to follow up the case, saying they would only be able to take action if Kevin was actually hurt.
Kevin was so frightened he did not leave his house for three months.
After Kevin has managed to tighten laws in the UK, he wants to drive change in international law, making death threats from abroad a punishable offence.
He has set up an online petition and if he gets 100,000 signatures, MPs will debate the possibility of amending existing British law in parliament.
MP James Brokenshire is the Minister for Security at the Home office. Kevin has been in touch with him to call an urgent meeting about his campaign.
Melanie Sykes has added her weight to the campaign and said: 'I support Kevin’s anti-bullying autism campaign. 
'The UK laws must change to protect autistic people. It’s more than a hate crime and people who bully need to be prosecuted. 

POWERLESS AGAINST THE BULLIES

Last month mother Liz Crowther, from Coventry, made headlines after she contacted the police when Facebook trolls circulated pictures of her daughter Heidi. 
The images had been stolen from the Coventry and Rugby Down’s Syndrome Support group website, which Mrs Crowther ran for five years until 2009.
Heidi has Down's Syndrome and she found the offensive tweets deeply distressing.
Despite repeatedly reporting the trolls, the couple said Facebook made no direct contact with them.
Mrs Crowther contacted the police but she was told that it was not a matter for officers.
'We need to protect people on the spectrum.  My eight year old son Valentino is on the spectrum, so this campaign holds a very poignant place in my heart. Please join the fight to create laws against bullying.'
TOWIE's Lydia bright also said: 'I have never got my head around bullying. Why one individual would want  to create insecurities, suffering and pain to another person. 
'Bullying somebody who suffers from autism is even more a mystery to me. Autistic people already face many hurdles in life without the added stress of bullying. A law needs to be put in place to stop these criminals.’
In 2007, Fiona Pilkington killed herself and her 18-year-old daughter Francecca Hardwick after years of bullying.
The pair, who were repeatedly targeted by gangs of youths, were found in a layby a couple of miles from their home in Barwell, Leicestershire.
An inquest into their deaths two years later heard police were contacted 33 times in 10 years about anti-social behaviour - but the family only received eight visits from officers.
A jury returned verdicts of suicide and unlawful killing, and said the response of Leicestershire Police and two local councils had contributed to what happened.
The papers stated: 'Fiona Pilkington was driven to take this tragic action by the stress and anxiety she was suffering as a result of on-going anti-social behaviour, harassment, victimisation and bullying.'
Kevin says legal changes concerning the treatment of goths and punks in Manchester fill him with hope.


























Fiona Pilkington (left) was driven to kill herself and her 18-year-old daughter Francecca Hardwick (right) after police did not take her complaints about bullying seriously

Earlier this year Manchester police recognized the bullying of goths and punks as hate crimes.
The move came after goth student Sophie Lancaster, 20, was killed after she and her boyfriend were brutally attacked in a park in 2007.
Kevin Healey has been campaigning for better services and support for people with an Autistic spectrum Condition for over a decade.
His campaign has received high accolades leading to Kevin receiving various awards including Charity Champion of the year 2007 and Stoke on Trent Citizen of the year 2006. 
He has also won the Queens award for his charity Staffordshire Adult Autistic Society and has been appointed Ambassador for the national Autistic Society.





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