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Lars Hagberg/The Canadian Press Images

Facebook ordered to remove sex offender monitoring page

Facebook was given 72 hours to take down the original page which contained a photo and comments about a convicted sex offender.

A CONVICTED SEX offender has won a High Court order in Northern Ireland to have a Facebook page set up to monitor paedophiles removed.

Yesterday a judge ruled that the page risked infringing the human rights of the man who cannot be identified.

Facebook was given 72 hours to take down the original ‘Keeping our kids safe from predators’ page which the judge ruled contained content that amounted to prima facie harassment of the man.

The man had previously been given a six-year jail sentence for a string of child sex offences committed more than 20 years ago.

Judge Bernard McCloskey said: “Society has dealt with the plaintiff in accordance with the rule of law.

“He has been punished by incarceration and he is subject to substantial daily restrictions on his lifestyle.”

In a statement to TheJournal.ie today, a spokesperson for Facebook said:

Facebook respects local laws. Consistent with the court order, the page in question is currently unavailable. We will be studying the text of the order before deciding on next steps.

The page had been taken down, but two with similar names then appeared yesterday afternoon.

At the time of publishing a page titled ‘Keeping our kids safe from predators” dating back to August was still live on Facebook but it is unclear whether or not this was the original page.

Facebook is understood to have removed the man’s photo and comments made about him but his legal team insisted that the page should be shut down.

- Additional reporting from AFP.

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73 Comments
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    Mute LangerDan
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    Dec 13th 2020, 11:59 AM

    It’s looking more likely that Brexit negotiations will outlive a global pandemic.

    305
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    Mute Colleen
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    Dec 13th 2020, 12:05 PM

    @LangerDan: at this stage will outlive us.

    143
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    Mute Joe Johnson
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    Dec 13th 2020, 1:08 PM

    @LangerDan: New deadline 31 Dec 2031

    84
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    Mute Jim Buckley Barrett
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    Dec 13th 2020, 12:00 PM

    Haven’t they figured it out yet that Boris and his mates don’t want a deal, they want the wild west of financial banking so they can make billions, while the normal brits suffers

    257
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    Mute Joe Johnson
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    Dec 13th 2020, 12:41 PM

    @Jim Buckley Barrett: Think this is a face saving exercise on behalf of the UK. It will be done quietly when everyone is occupied with the Christmas and not on high alert.

    66
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    Mute JPM
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    Dec 13th 2020, 12:48 PM

    @Jim Buckley Barrett: ya but surely you know that the financial sector in UK will take a massive hit with a no deal if they don’t have access to European markets and money

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    Mute EFitz66
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    Dec 13th 2020, 3:29 PM

    @Joe Johnson: Surely you should know that Jim Buckley Barrett is a complete air __ head and you should not engage with people like that

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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Dec 13th 2020, 3:33 PM

    @Jim Buckley Barrett: of course they have and have wasted so much time pandering to the brexiteers. But I’m sure the EU do not want to give the tories and their media any ammunition when the tories pull the plug. Well played the EU….as much as it annoys most of us.

    19
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    Mute Adam Hernes
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    Dec 13th 2020, 6:03 PM

    @Jim Buckley Barrett: This is what the Tories and their hedge fund friends want. Singapore on Thames is the ideo of deep deregulation and dumping of services and products on European market. Now Brits are surprised that EU will protect its internal market. This is the same breed of economic right wing populism as in US. The one difference UK is not US. Let them be. There will be pain as hell but now everybody in EU agrees not on fact that austerity dose not work in time of crisis. We should get better soon after the covid issue is contained. In few years time we will se who was right looking at France and UK. They are similar in population and GDP. If France will grow faster and will have larger GDP the Brexit will be a certified failure.

    9
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    Mute SaveTheTrees
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    Dec 13th 2020, 7:02 PM

    @Merlin Lancelot: He’s right though

    1
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    Mute SaveTheTrees
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    Dec 13th 2020, 7:14 PM

    @Adam Hernes: Accurate assessment, our main worry will be energy costs in the short term until the Celtic Interconnector is completed in 2026 between here and France, as we import a lot of our electricity. Of course there is a high possibility Scotland independence vote will pass next time round, and they will probably rejoin the EU, meaning the impact might not be as severe.

    5
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    Mute David Lee
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    Dec 13th 2020, 11:59 AM

    It’s Britains way or the high way, Ursula wasting her time, Johnson was all over the UK media yesterday explaining why a No deal will be great for them. And don’t forget the threat of armed malitia on boats

    112
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    Mute Michael Maher
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    Dec 13th 2020, 12:06 PM

    @David Lee: One one hardly describe the British navy as malitia or (militia)

    54
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    Mute Alan McArdle
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    Dec 13th 2020, 2:05 PM

    @David Lee: Boris being Boris….his tune flips depending on who he’s talking to. He trots out the ‘we’ll prosper mightily, regardless’ line knowing that it’s almost so vague that it can’t be challenged.

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    Mute Effrafax of Wug
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    Dec 13th 2020, 4:41 PM

    @David Lee: if no deal is suh a good deal for them, what are they negotiating for?

    18
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    Mute Pádraic Ó Braonáin
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    Dec 13th 2020, 12:19 PM

    Ursula should read up on some Irish history to fully know what she is dealing with.

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    Mute Fred the Muss...
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    Dec 13th 2020, 12:28 PM

    @Pádraic Ó Braonáin: She’s German, she’s knows exactly what the British are like.

    131
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    Mute Michael Maher
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    Dec 13th 2020, 12:07 PM

    Never ending circus.

    56
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    Mute Shaun Gallagher
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    Dec 13th 2020, 11:56 AM

    Ah Jesus

    51
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    Mute John Mulligan
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    Dec 13th 2020, 11:58 AM

    Brinkmanship.
    It will go to the wire, but they’ll find a way.

    45
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    Mute Paddy Kennedy
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    Dec 13th 2020, 3:02 PM

    @John Mulligan: well this week the uk supermarkets were warned to stockpile…and there were queues in France…that shows where the real power lies. we will see how long they stay on the brink if they cant feed themselves…

    28
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    Mute Fred the Muss...
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    Dec 13th 2020, 11:57 AM

    The only thing they ever seem to achieve is missing deadlines.
    (And I know if should be the case if they make a deal).

    36
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    Mute Alan McArdle
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    Dec 13th 2020, 12:03 PM

    A deal would obviously be worth it but it shows a certain bluffer that real world politics trumps the bluster and guff he gets away with in London.

    46
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    Mute Mad Worldman
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    Dec 13th 2020, 2:44 PM

    Johnson has been ringing individual leaders of European countries in an age old attempt at divide and conquer. It used to work back in the days of empire (as did gun boat diplomacy!) His efforts to turn EU states against each other is so obvious its pathetic. He seems to represent those who want to destabilise western democracy and not the wishes of the majority of British people.

    62
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    Mute Munster1
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    Dec 13th 2020, 12:25 PM

    Boris was always going to cave. He doesnt have the ba11s for a no deal.

    29
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    Mute Canyon
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    Dec 13th 2020, 12:01 PM

    It’ll be extended for a few more weeks or months.

    24
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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Dec 13th 2020, 3:34 PM

    @Canyon: hopefully the EU will just tell them to deploy their silly little gunboats.

    20
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    Mute SaveTheTrees
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    Dec 13th 2020, 7:18 PM

    @Canyon: Most likely will be extended to March/April

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    Mute Victor Feldman
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    Dec 15th 2020, 11:56 PM

    @Canyon: can they still do that after Jan 1st

    1
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    Mute Victor Feldman
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    Dec 15th 2020, 11:56 PM

    @SaveTheTrees: can they still do that after Jan 1st

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    Mute Tony Corbàn
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    Dec 13th 2020, 4:07 PM

    Just let them off, sick of it all. And let it be a lesson to all remaining EU countries to not be so dependent on trade with one single country. The UK are is the weaker position, and all of this is only postering to panic the EU into giving them what they want

    28
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    Mute Mad Worldman
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    Dec 13th 2020, 6:07 PM

    @Tony Corbàn: it’s a pity that we depend on Britain so much for everyday stuff. We should import more direct from the continent in terms of grocery and hardware. We have to improve our independence from Britain.

    21
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    Mute Charles McCarthy
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    Dec 13th 2020, 11:57 AM

    Tis definitely a day for pucking ball down the field. Death by a thousand cuts.

    28
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    Mute Ivor O'Sullivan
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    Dec 13th 2020, 1:44 PM

    Its becoming clear at last, both sides negotiate in perpetuity, keeping the current T&C’s and when the Brits decide to return to the EU the negotiations will stop…Simple

    16
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    Mute Victor Feldman
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    Dec 15th 2020, 11:58 PM

    @Ivor O’Sullivan: can that actually happen.

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    Mute Aire Dezamba
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    Dec 13th 2020, 12:47 PM

    Irl should learn from Brits…you have to play hardball of you get rolled over.

    21
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    Mute Alan McArdle
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    Dec 13th 2020, 2:12 PM

    @Aire Dezamba: Boris has been scuttling to Brussels and had the cold water of reality thrown over him since he has been PM despite promising that GB would be ‘leaving come what may’. The only people being rolled are the UK public.

    52
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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Dec 13th 2020, 3:35 PM

    @Aire Dezamba: is this what you call playing hard ball? Really? Lol.

    16
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    Mute Leonard O'mahony
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    Dec 13th 2020, 12:16 PM

    Bertie deserves his 17 grand top up.He’s a rock of sense.

    16
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    Mute David Van-Standen
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    Dec 13th 2020, 12:23 PM

    @Leonard O’mahony: He’s a crock of nonsense.

    70
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    Mute Michael J Hartnett
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    Dec 13th 2020, 12:05 PM

    Bertie was correct. Looks like people are coming to their sences.

    15
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    Mute Damian Moylan
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    Dec 13th 2020, 6:15 PM

    Can a non-Eu country have free trade with the Eu without complying to Eu rules imposed on Eu companies? And if so under wto rules such a deal would have to be offered to other non-Eu countries eg. china, india etc.

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    Mute DJ François
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    Dec 13th 2020, 6:40 PM

    @Damian Moylan: no and no, to answer the questions

    7
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    Mute Brendan Glynn
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    Dec 13th 2020, 8:50 PM

    Boris himself is a ‘feàr’ apart himself – he’s really living up to his name…haunted! – sure he even looks like a ghost – England is a lovely country – geographically – but politically- its a disaster zone!

    3
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    Mute David Jacobsen
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    Dec 13th 2020, 7:34 PM

    The Brexit negotiations keep continuing due to the Irish Taoiseach insistence to the EU commission to keep trying. Irish farmers will get EU subsidies in event of a no-deal Brexit from when I last checked. Business is leaving London for Dublin, not all, but a lot. I suppose the nation that really wants its cake and to eat is Republic of Ireland.

    1
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