Tough line urged on Claudia trolling

The Government and law enforcement agencies have been urged to step up efforts to tackle internet abuse which has involved sexually explicit and offensive messages being posted online.

North Yorkshire Police confirmed officers are investigating a Nottingham-based psychic, Rodney Ballard, who bragged about knowing who killed Miss Lawrence and posted a sketch online of the moment he claims she was strangled.

One of Miss Lawrence’s closest friends, Jen King, 29, an administrator from York, said: “You have to ask why nothing is being done to protect innocent people from these sick posts online.

“In a virtual world that is growing as fast as it is, the police and the Government do not appear to be doing anywhere near enough to deal with the problems. The internet trolls are simply going unpunished.”

Martin Dales, a family friend and spokesman for Miss Lawrence’s father, Peter Lawrence, also called for tough sanctions against anyone found guilty of internet abuse.

He said: “The authorities need to send out a message that this will not be tolerated. Claudia’s friends and family have suffered enough since her disappearance, yet there are sick individuals who appear to take some perverse pleasure in causing even more heartache.”

The Yorkshire Post revealed in February last year that offensive messages had been left on a Facebook page dedicated to the search for Miss Lawrence, who was aged 35 when she was last seen near her home in York in March 2009. Detectives have since launched a murder inquiry, but found no trace of her.

A police spokesman confirmed an inquiry is under way into the latest online claims and said the messages are “unhelpful and cause great distress”.