Abusive tweeter John Graham Kerlen avoids jail

A blogger who called a councillor a "c***" on Twitter and invited people to put excrement through his letter box avoided a jail sentence today.

John Graham Kerlen, who writes under the name Olly Cromwell, made the comments during a series of rants about Bexley Council in south London.

Last October, Kerlen, 37, tweeted "Which c*** lives in a house like this? Answers on a postcard to bexleycouncil", along with a picture of councillor Melvin Seymour's house.

He then followed it with a second tweet, "naming him and encouraging people to put excrement through his letter box or anything else people would consider appropriate", prosecutor Denise Johnson told Bromley Magistrates' Court.

Kerlen, now of Milwards, Harlow, Essex, pleaded guilty to a charge of improper use of a public electronic communications network last month and returned today to be sentenced to 80 hours of unpaid work over 12 months.

He was also ordered to pay £620 in prosecution costs and was told a restraining order preventing him from having any contact with the councillor would remain in place for five years.

PA