Author: Lucy Gardner

‘The wheels of justice turn slowly, but grind exceedingly fine’, according to the ancient Greek proverb, or at least they did until the internet came along. Long gone are the days when paper judgments are collected on foot and publishing the contents was of concern only to the editors of dusty law reports. Now, the rush to be the first to announce a win is big business.

The rapid mobilisation of all entities of the criminal justice system following the violence, which was incited by the racially motivated spread of misinformation online, felt like the rocket booster we have but longed for. One man was jailed within 24 hours of posting racially aggravated, offensive content online and a “violent racist” received more than a three-year sentence less than two weeks after punching and kicking a black man in the face.