back to article Canadian dirtbag jailed for SWAT'ing, doxing women gamers

A Canadian teenager who spent a year harassing women gamers and their families has been sentenced to 16 months in a youth prison and eight months' probation after admitting 23 charges. The tearaway made bogus emergency calls to the police – giving the addresses of his victims' so that armed SWAT teams would turn up at their …

  1. Mark 85

    What a difference...

    I note he's getting hard time unlike that last couple of cases in other countries. I hope that at some point, the many countries can agree (based on research) what works... hard time, or sending them back to mom and dad with a wrist slap.

    1. Francis Boyle Silver badge

      Re: What a difference...

      "Psychological reports presented in the case claimed he suffered from severe narcissism, has emerging psychopathic traits, and is oversensitive."

      And prison is sure to fix that. For the wellbeing of the community if nothing else the guy needs proper pschiatric help.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        @Francis Boyle - Re: What a difference...

        Why waste money on such failure ? I'd better fund young people who have talent and who are working hard to achieve something which is of value for themselves and for the community they live in.

        As for this little human residue I would just chain him somewhere in the basement of his parents so they can feed him in case they feel it worth the trouble. Oh and make sure the only keyboard he will ever get to use will be the one on a microwave oven.

        1. Voland's right hand Silver badge

          Re: @Francis Boyle - What a difference...

          As for this little human residue I would just chain him somewhere in the basement of his parents

          This will not fix him. Neither will prison - there he will get contacts which will feed his obsessions getting computer services in return.

          The solution here should have been: "Here is an axe lad, here are some warm shoes and mittens, there are trees that need cutting somewhere around the border of Alberta and Northern territories. We will discuss if you can have computer access again after you have done that for three years. Off ya go."

      2. Six_Degrees

        Re: What a difference...

        What will that accomplish? There is no effective treatment for psychopaths like this other than doping them into near-narcolepsy. Psychiatry simply won't work here.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: What a difference...

        ***

        "Psychological reports presented in the case claimed he suffered from severe narcissism, has emerging psychopathic traits, and is oversensitive."

        And prison is sure to fix that. For the wellbeing of the community if nothing else the guy needs proper pschiatric help.

        ***

        It certainly ought to cut his narcissism down to size and adjust his oversensitivity. And for psychopathy there is no cure anyway, so I dare say jailtime is about as good a remedy as exists.

        1. Trevor_Pott Gold badge

          Re: What a difference...

          It certainly ought to cut his narcissism down to size and adjust his oversensitivity.

          You, like pretty much every other commenter in this thread, know absolutely fucking nothing about psychology or psychiatry.

          I'm appalled at the lot of you.

      4. Pookietoo

        Re: the guy needs proper pschiatric help

        There's not a lot you can do for someone with severe personality disorders - as he's definitely a threat to other people, prison may be the best place for him.

        1. laird cummings

          Re: the guy needs proper pschiatric help

          If you're going to warehouse him, I would suggest it be somepleace with a fairly structured routine including major efforts at socialization. Not a greybar dungeon, but a work camp where he can get a lot of outside time, and learn some interpersonal skills. Operant conditioning *does* work on humans - and if he gets the kind of conditioning you'll find in a standard prison, you'll get a potential monster back on the far side, instead of a (best case) slightly-less-dysfunctional human being.

    2. Cuddles

      Re: What a difference...

      From the article:

      "Disneyland in California was temporarily shuttered after one of these calls"

      These sorts of crimes often don't seem to be taken seriously, but the one thing everyone should know is that you do not mess with the Mouse.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Faking Caller ID is part of Swatting and those annoying sales calls

    It's bad enough that the moronic telephone sales callers can fake the Caller ID, but it's absolutely inexcusable that the Caller ID info being fed to 911 emergency response centers can be faked. It's coming in from the Internet, not from a local line. The supposed originating line is probably on-hook.

    The telco engineers responsible for leaving the back door open should be given several years porridge.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I would also suggest the police force

    to stop watching too many Hollywood action movies and re-evaluate their tactics. They're becoming increasingly too heavy on the muscle and too light on the brain side.

    1. Six_Degrees

      Re: I would also suggest the police force

      I don't disagree. But I'll note that, so far, doxing hasn't resulted in any deaths that I'm aware of. So police seem to have at least a modicum of reasoned judgement.

      It is, however, only a matter of time before one of these snot-nosed sociopaths kills someone by police proxy.

      1. Eddy Ito

        Re: I would also suggest the police force

        Sure, no deaths by doxing perhaps, but SWATting is a completely different story. Sure John Crawford wasn't at home but it's much more likely to do harm when there are lots of potential victims the SWAT team might be concerned about.

      2. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

      Re: I would also suggest the police force

      They're becoming increasingly too heavy on the muscle and too light on the brain side.

      Yes. One of the many ill effects of police militarization is that it creates a classic exploitable asymmetry. Any competent security researcher could have pointed that out when police forces in the Americas and elsewhere started jumping on the paramilitary bandwagon (and no doubt many did).

      Schneier told a story some years back: When he was a kid, he got one of the Ant Farm kits sold by a US company named Uncle Miltie. Since you can't put live ants in a box on a toy-store shelf and expect them to remain useful very long, the Ant Farm comes with a postage-paid postcard. You fill in your address and Uncle Miltie posts you a tube of live ants.

      So Bruce and his friends quickly realized this meant that, for the price of an Uncle Miltie Ant Farm, they could have live ants mailed to the victim of their choice, anywhere in the US.

      It's a classic amplification attack: small cost to the attacker, greater cost to the defender. SWATing is just a nastier version of the same principle. The same can be said of witchhunts and other forms of using asymmetries presented by the authorities or the private sector.

      The only ways to alleviate asymmetric-amplification attacks are raising costs for the attacker or lowering them for the defendant, either of which reduces the asymmetry. Prosecution can raise the attacker's cost (by increasing risk and penalties), but it has at best a mixed record. Lowering the defendant's costs can be achieved by reducing the effects the attacker can produce - less police paramilitary stupidity, in this case - and by compensation (which, if it came from the police force in question, might also have the salutary effect of reducing stupidity).1

      There are other measures that might improve the situation, but they all boil down to reducing the asymmetry in some fashion. And, of course, some ways of reducing the asymmetry don't help, on the whole - arming potential SWATing victims with tanks and flamethrowers would reduce the asymmetry but even in the US relatively few people think that's a good idea.

      1Here's the point where someone complains that this would hobble the police, who with their military-surplus equipment and adrenaline-fueled raids are "keeping us safe". Statistically, that is of course complete bullshit, and I'm not inclined to engage it.

  4. Elmer Phud

    Nocturnal admissions

    "and spent his nights gaming and ordering pizza."

    and . . .

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Nocturnal admissions

      Yeah, I know... I was kinda afraid to say anything... @_@

    2. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

      Re: Nocturnal admissions

      And ... eating pizza. That's gotta be it, right??!

  5. Your alien overlord - fear me
    Coat

    "Psychological reports presented in the case claimed he suffered from severe narcissism, has emerging psychopathic traits, and is oversensitive." - or in English, he used to run Apple.

    Mine's the coat filled with down votes....

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Trollface

    "severely limited social skills and a significant educational deficit."

    added to "severe narcissism, has emerging psychopathic traits, and is oversensitive"

    Career prospects ...

    1/ Pop Diva

    2/ Politician

    3/ A cop in mostly black townships across America

    1. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

      Re: "severely limited social skills and a significant educational deficit."

      That's unfair. Many trigger-happy psychopaths are employed by police departments in major US cities, too.

  7. Phuq Witt
    WTF?

    Had to Read the Article...

    To find out what "SWAT'ing" and "doxing" meant.

    [I'm still none the wiser as regards "doxing"]

    1. David Dawson

      Re: Had to Read the Article...

      apparently, publicly posting personal details such as address and phone number with the intention that they are then harassed by others.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Doxing Re: Had to Read the Article...

      It means posting people's personal details online, starting with name, address, and phone number, and implicitly or explicitly encouraging other snot-nosed socially-underdeveloped adolescents to harass them.

      In other words, it is the passive-aggressive pusillanimous online attack of choice of the worst shitweasels on the web.

      Oh, the word is some sort of contraction of "documents" or "documentation".

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Doxing Had to Read the Article...

        Just like ICANN force you to.

      2. laird cummings
        Facepalm

        Re: Doxing Had to Read the Article...

        Or, in other words, what The Trump did to Lindsey Graham recently, though The Trump used a speach and the media as his vehicle, instead of the internet. Mighty-old school of him...

  8. graeme leggett Silver badge

    "that the teenager worked by day in the computer industry, and spent his nights gaming and ordering pizza. "

    One of those cases where getting out more really would have been good advice?

    1. Graham Marsden
      Thumb Down

      > One of those cases where getting out more really would have been good advice?

      And about as useful as telling someone who's depressed to "pull yourself together".

      For some people "getting out" can be a terrifying experience, they simply cannot deal with the outside world, finding it an incomprehensible place beyond their control, so they retreat into a "safe" space where they can control what's happening.

      People like that need help and understanding, not jail time.

      There again, some people (see certain comments above) also need to learn compassion and not think that because they are ok, everyone else is ok too...

      1. graeme leggett Silver badge

        That would make sense in this case. Staying in the safe place effectively reinforcing the distance between that place and the outside world.

        Is there any indication that this youth will receive help? we hear Canada has good medical provision, but I've never heard anything about quality of its mental health services.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          The quality isn't bad, the quantity is almost none existent to the many who need it.

          When it comes to mental health treatment the judge gave him what most who need it get, a lecture.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          @graeme legget - Do you really know what you're talking about ?

          Psychiatric treatment for someone who commits a crime ? Where is this going to stop ? Would you also like to treat some other minor offenses like for instance DUI or unpaid parking tickets ?

          Let's keep the justice as simple as possible and keep away those psychiatrists, OK?

          Here in Canada things are getting almost hilarious with murderers getting away just because they are being declared not criminally responsible due to mental health issues.

          1. ckdizz

            Re: @AC - smell the crazy

            "Here in Canada things are getting almost hilarious with murderers getting away just because they are being declared not criminally responsible due to mental health issues."

            Trust me, it can't be anywhere near as hilarious as your repeated anonymous string 'em up comments that have started popping up on any criminal justice news article.

            You can tick that anonymous box every single time, but that won't stop those metaphorical flecks of spit from ending up all over my monitor and identifying you anyway.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        @Graham Marsden - Sorry, pal!

        I only have a limited amount of compassion so I decide to use it wisely only on those who deserve it.

        1. Graham Marsden
          Thumb Down

          @AC - Re: @Graham Marsden - Sorry, pal!

          And what criteria do you use to decide whether someone is "deserving" of your compassion?

          Race? Colour? Creed? Sex? Country of birth? Employment status? Mental health? Money in the bank? Political views? Or just "Fuck you, I'm alright Jack!"?

          Fortunately not all of us think like you.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: @Graham Marsden - Sorry, pal!

          Well well, another one who'se defence is

          "I'm special needs so it isn't my fault"

      3. This post has been deleted by its author

      4. Turtle

        @Graham Marsden

        "People like that need help and understanding, not jail time."

        What you need to understand is that psychopathy / sociopathy can not be cured.

        1. Graham Marsden
          Thumb Down

          @Turtle - Re: @Graham Marsden

          > What you need to understand is that psychopathy / sociopathy can not be cured.

          I do understand that. I also understand that conditions like that can be treated and controlled and monitored, but simply locking someone up will do nothing to benefit the sufferer.

          Still, that's not *your* problem is it...

        2. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

          Re: @Graham Marsden

          What you need to understand is that psychopathy / sociopathy can not be cured.

          And that many Reg readers are experts in psychopathology and can offer definite, certain diagnoses of it in people they have never met, based on a paraphrase in an article on an IT news website of a report offered in a criminal trial.

          I know I am completely persuaded by these top experts in the field.

      5. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        > For some people "getting out" can be a terrifying experience, they simply cannot deal with the outside world, finding it an incomprehensible place beyond their control

        I understand. I've been to London once.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Armed goon squads usually turn up meaning business

    And even here in the UK, they can be more than a little trigger happy. SWATing should come with a presumption of attempted murder. Let the dirtbags prove otherwise, in court.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Armed goon squads usually turn up meaning business

      > And even here in the UK, they can be more than a little trigger happy.

      De Menezes.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Psychological reports presented in the case claimed he suffered from severe narcissism, has emerging psychopathic traits, and is oversensitive.

    It appears we have found one of Assange's offspring..

  11. Arachnoid

    Sounds like an ideal candidate

    For the next Big Brother house

    1. YetAnotherLocksmith Silver badge

      Re: Sounds like an ideal candidate

      You could be on to something there.

      Ten anti-social morons who are "invincible keyboard warriors", sent to live in the Big Brother house as punishment by the courts. Or, for the worst of them, we could put just one into Love Island or something, to be mocked mercilessly for a few weeks & they'd never re-offend for fear of the lack of intelligent conversation they were faced with.

    2. Bluto Nash

      Re: Sounds like an ideal candidate

      Absolutely! Ten antisocial gamers in a house with only a 1 megabit connection and free WoW accounts. Might be interesting.

      1. Sgt_Oddball

        Re: Sounds like an ideal candidate

        1meg? Far too generous. Give em dial up. That should make them try and deal with conflict resolution in a socially acceptable way.... Or kill each other.

        Or even learn to play lan games.but that's pushing things.

      2. Number6

        Re: Sounds like an ideal candidate

        Not just a 1Mbit connection but random packet loss too. Nothing like a bit of unexpected lag to screw things up.

    3. Vic

      Re: Sounds like an ideal candidate

      For the next Big Brother house

      For the B-Ark.

      Vic.

  12. earl grey
    FAIL

    sorry, no sympathy here

    This wanker is getting off lightly for all that he's done and i suspect won't be any better when he gets out. Just hope they don't serve him a single pizza while he's in chokey,

  13. Hilmi Al-kindy

    He can get his therapy in Jail

    While I don't support jail time for all crimes, I feel what he did was bad enough to justify jail time. If he needs therapy, he can have it in jail.

    Besides, many jails have trained criminals with useful skills that they can then use for employment when they get out.

  14. Maty

    He can still have a role in society

    As a ghastly warning. This particular little toerag is beyond saving, and the consensus here seems to be that neither jail time nor professional help will do much.

    So why not give as massive a punishment as statute allows? Not to help him, but to discourage other little snotwads who are thinking of doing the same thing. Maybe someone contemplating 5 years jail time and a computer ban for life might think twice before unleashing a SWAT team for 'lulz'.

    1. Pookietoo

      Re: might think twice

      But a narcissist will always expect to get away with it, because he thinks he's so much smarter than everyone else.

  15. dollybird
    Stop

    Seven to Eight YEARS of relentless terroristic misogyny

    Where.

    Were.

    The.

    Parents.

    ?

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