‘Keyboard warrior’ went on tirade after parking photo

Lerwick Sheriff Court. 

A “keyboard warrior” who sent threatening messages after finding his car on a Facebook page called ‘Parking like a Twat’ has been fined.

Douglas Leslie, from Virkie, threatened to set fire to cars and to hurt a dog after going on a drunken tirade between 30th March and 1st April this year.

Defence agent Gregor Kelly said the 52-year-old “should know better”, and procurator fiscal Duncan MacKenzie called the social media feud “infantile”.

The court heard Leslie’s car had been posted in the Facebook group, which sees users critique and criticise the parking of other drivers.

Mr MacKenzie said Leslie “took exception” to some comments about his parking, sending 14 messages to one man over a five-hour period – including threats of violence.

Leslie also sent 25 messages and tried to call another man twice, making similar threats of violence and to damage their property.

He admitted sending the “grossly offensive” messages to the two men. Mr Kelly said Leslie had been “drinking more than he should have been” at the time, as he recovered from a collapsed lung.

The solicitor said Leslie could not drive at the time, and was being driven around by a friend – who had parked the car for him.

People on social media had suggested that the parking had been caused by Leslie drink-driving, Mr Kelly told the court.

“That was the trigger that set him off,” he added. “He was a keyboard warrior”.

Mr Kelly said that Leslie had been “suitably chastened” by the incident, and had curtailed his drinking.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank said he did not believe that Leslie was going to follow through with any of his threats of violence.

He called this “another example of the rubbish and nonsense that gets posted on social media”.

“Sometimes it’s better to keep your thoughts private than to post it online,” he added.

The sheriff fined Leslie £320.