Sources : Times News Network

Date of Publishing:16/7/2010

Location: Chennai

London: A Facebook fan page that glorified a dead killer was removed by its creator on Thursday after it drew sharp criticism from Britain's Prime Minister and put the social networking site in an uncomfortable situation.

The Facebook site "RIP Raoul Moat You Legend" had attracted 38,000 fans, scores of comments praising Moat — and outrage from politicians. Facebook had refused to remove the page even after Prime Minister David Cameron had condemned it, saying there should be no public sympathy for a "callous murderer." Despite the mounting pressure, Facebook said the page, while controversial, did not violate its rules. But its creator, Siobhan O'Dowd, took it down, saying she was surprised by the negative reaction. "To be honest, I didn’t think this would be the kind of reaction I would get," O'- Dowd said. Facebook confirmed it had not removed the page. Another similar Moat tribute page remained, with more than 9,000 fans. O’Dowd said she was planning to start a new Moat page, and did not explain how it would be different from the old one.

"We don't condone what he did, as what he did was wrong," she said. "I feel sorry for the families, but he was still a human being at the end of the day."

Moat, a former bouncer, had just been released from a prison term for assault when he shot his ex-girlfriend, killed her new lover and seriously wounded a policeman earlier this month. AP

Flowers seen at the Newcastle home of Raoul Thomas Moat, a fugitive wanted for murder, after Moat killed himself on Saturday, ending a weeklong manhunt

Web Resource for Times e Paper(For the above mentioned article): http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Search&Key=TOICH/2010/07/16/13/Ar01306.xml&CollName=TOI_CHENNAI_ARCHIVE_2009&DOCID=211090&Keyword=%28%3Cmany%3E%3Cstem%3ESocial%3Cand%3E%3Cmany%3E%3Cstem%3ENetworking%29&skin=pastissues2&AppName=2&ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T