Twitter trolls post sick pictures online
Sick online trolls have been stalking carers with vile pictures, using the hashtag #RealCarersWeek.
Carers created the hashtag to depict how difficult life can be for people caring for loved ones to mark Carers Week (6-12 June).
But several Twitter accounts have been trolling the hashtag with foul images, many of them sexual in nature.
Police Scotland are investigating the Tweets from “several sources”.
Carers have told TFN they want the trolls prosecuted under hate crime legislation.
Carla McDougal, a Carer from Monifieth, responded to one troll only to incur a deluge of abuse from a number of other Twitter accounts.
They’ve been actively seeking out carers to deliberately offend. It’s just very upsetting
She told TFN: “It’s the fact I have a disabled son and the pictures involved sexual images of disabled young people that was so offensive. They aren’t just random postings; they are targeted.
“They’ve been actively seeking out carers to deliberately offend. It’s just very upsetting.
“They need to be stopped. I’ve reported to Twitter and Police Scotland and encouraged others to do so too.”
At least 20 different accounts have targeted carers during the week with many deleting when threatened with the police.
However others have persisted and remain active.
Lynn Williams, a carer from Renfrew, said she has reported a number of trolls to Police Scotland but that the week was being sourced by the depraved trolling.
“It’s effectively hate crime against disabled people,” she said. “It’s but it’s what these people get off on.
“Carers devote their lives to others so it’s horrible when this kind of stuff happens. It brings you down. The job is difficult enough already without these hateful people.”
Jim Aird, interim director at Carers Trust Scotland, said: "We were really disappointed to discover that carers are being negatively targeted by people on social media.
"Providing unpaid care for a friend or family member can be very isolating and, for many carers, social media is a safe space for them to connect with those in similar situations. For that space to be compromised by others is unacceptable.
"We would encourage unpaid carers who happen to receive or witness any negative comments to report it immediately and not to be discouraged by any negative comments.”
