Comedian Dom Joly has called in police after a Twitter account called @deathtojolykids made abusive remarks about his children.
Joly, who has only recently blogged about enjoying taking on internet 'trolls' – people who deliberately post insulting and provocative comments online – asked police to investigate the tweets after the account holder wrote: "the tall one looks like she has cancer I'm concerned. Does the short one have downs?".
Another post read: "so ur kids f***** dead of cancer yet or what faggot?"
Internet troll Sean Duffy jailed for dead teenager jokes
EastEnders' Jessie Wallace gets death threats after calling off wedding
Joly, the star of Trigger Happy TV, said of the tweets: "This… crossed the line and I'm going to police."
He then tweeted @MetPoliceUk that death threats had been made to his children, and warned @deathtojolykids: "Police have been contacted, I have screen grabs, I'll let u know what happens – you can arrest someone who issues a death threat – which you have. I will have you arrested, trust me."
Joly added that it was "very easy to trace his IP address" and warned the troll: "You need to read the news my friend – up to 16 months prison".
Only this week internet troll Sean Duffy was jailed for posting abusive messages on Facebook tribute pages for dead children.
However, Joly's taunter seemed undaunted by Joly's threat of arrest, replying: "what police u don't even know what jurisdiction to notify mr internet detective."
The comic has an 11-year-old daughter, Parker, and a son, Jackson, aged seven.
In August, Joly wrote a blog for The Huffington Post UK entitled 'Troll Wars'. In it he wrote: "One of the downsides of being a 'celebrity' tweeter is the preponderance of people who seem to hang about in dingy bedrooms in their dirty underwear 'trolling'."
He went on: "I often take on the trolls as, in my view they are keyboard warriors, cyber-bullies who need to be confronted."
