An online troll who subjected a woman to a sustained campaign of abuse after she defended former EastEnders star Danniella Westbrook has been jailed for three years.
Natasha Dawn, 43, of Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, targeted the victim on Twitter and Instagram, sending between 20 and 80 offensive messages daily for nine months. The abuse included false accusations of child abuse and lying about a cancer diagnosis, as well as taunts about the woman's deceased mother.
Nottingham Crown Court heard that Dawn pleaded guilty to three counts of stalking. Detective Sergeant Lee Kirk of Nottinghamshire Police described her behaviour as 'genuinely shocking'. The victim had blocked Dawn's accounts, but she created new ones under different names to continue the harassment.
Police investigations revealed Dawn had also abused several other people on social media. In addition to the prison sentence, she was given a restraining order limiting her to one social media account, which must be notified to police.
Ms Westbrook expressed relief at the sentencing. Det Sgt Kirk said: 'I hope this sentence provides her victims with some degree of comfort.'
