A woman from the North West has found herself facing a substantial financial penalty after a lengthy dispute on social media escalated, culminating in a legal conviction. Lisa Wilkinson, 46, became entangled in an online quarrel with Edward Hampton on Facebook, which ultimately led to her being ordered to pay out a total of £480 and receiving several other sanctions from the court.
The disagreement began in a Facebook community dedicated to visitors of the Turkish resort of Marmaris, known as ‘MARM R US’, a group originally established by Mr Hampton. Wilkinson, who was acting as an administrator at the time, opted to join a parallel page set up by a Turkish acquaintance. Tensions intensified rapidly, and what began as differences of opinion soon erupted into a cycle of abusive posts and personal insults.
Using the online alias ‘Buster Wilko’, Wilkinson made a series of statements about Mr Hampton and his wife, disparagingly labelling them as “the Tramptons”. She publicly accused Hampton, who is 74 years old, of infidelity and made further derogatory claims over a six-month period, from February to July of the previous year. The posts, visible to up to 2,500 group members, reportedly included terms such as “old aged predator” and “dirty scumbag”, targeted not only at Mr Hampton but also at group members who supported him.
Alongside these public messages, Wilkinson sent private communications to Hampton, including images of both his and his wife’s passports. These were accompanied by intimidating messages warning him about future travel and suggesting she had submitted their passport information to authorities. Some of the communications also contained allegations that he had wronged Turkish businesses and racially-charged insults.
The online feud did not go unnoticed. Wilkinson was summoned before Sefton Magistrates Court on 25 March, where she faced a charge of harassment without violence. During proceedings, Wilkinson acknowledged authoring the inflammatory posts but claimed her behaviour was an act of “self defence”. She contended that Mr Hampton had himself written anonymous, derogatory statements about her, allegedly including body-shaming comments on a website targeting unfaithful individuals.
Nevertheless, the court concluded that Wilkinson’s actions constituted harassment. At Liverpool Magistrates Court, sentencing took place on 9 May. Wilkinson was handed an 18-month community order, requiring her to complete 150 hours of unpaid work. Additionally, she must undergo up to 35 days of rehabilitation activities, all aimed at addressing the underlying issues that led to the offending behaviour.
As part of the sentence, Wilkinson was instructed to pay £480 in compensation to Mr Hampton. The court also imposed a significant restraining order, prohibiting her from contacting Hampton for the next five years. These measures are indicative of the justice system’s increasing willingness to consider the personal impact of online abuse and to deter similar incidents in the future.
In the aftermath of the case, Mr Hampton spoke of the toll the ordeal had taken on his family. He described feeling deeply troubled by the persistent nature of the harassment, noting that the distressing comments continued daily in various online spaces. “Every day there was posts going on, not on my pages but on her pages and groups,” he remarked, highlighting the ongoing psychological impact.
Mr Hampton further reflected on the broader consequences for both himself and his wife, stating, “My wife is a nervous wreck and I have been as well.” He expressed hope that the legal resolution would bring an end to the hostility, allowing them to move on from what he described as a traumatic experience.
This case throws a spotlight on the real-world consequences of virtual altercations, underlining that online behaviour can and does translate into legal action. It serves as a cautionary reminder that social media disputes must be handled with care, as the boundaries between digital and real-world accountability continue to blur.