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Head of titsup ISP hounded by angry customers

Lone crusader threatened with Human Rights Act

Power to the people!* Meet the modern-day Wolfie Smith: Mike Ashworth. Mike was a little incensed to find his ISP, IG Click, had gone titsup.com. Not only that but he is owed money and would like it back - as would hundreds of other customers.

He was even more incensed when the company stopped taking phone calls and didn't reply to emails. So our enterprising Mr Ashworth found out who the sole director of the company was - one Mr Horgan - then he found out his home address (has to be given by law if you start up a company) and used an online telephone directory to find his home telephone number.

Mike then posted this information to a news group concerning IG Click's collapse, so other concerned customers could find out first-hand what was going on. This useful service however soon degenerated into out-of-pocket customers making their views known to Mr Horgan while he was at home. Shocking.

Mr Horgan was not impressed and would dearly like his former customers to stop reminding him of the ISP's collapse. To this end his solicitors have sent Mr Ashworth a threatening letter, explaining that he breaching the Human Rights Act - a piece of legislation intended to protect the little man. The letter advises that Mr Horgan will pursue for damages and an injunction against Mr Ashworth publishing details of his home address unless he takes them down pronto.

This Mike has done, although it would be surprisingly easy for anyone else to find out the details and post them elsewhere. Let's hope this doesn't happen and poor Mr Horgan is left alone to deal with disappointment in his own way.

The window cleaner just pointed out the irony of the Internet being used to hound Mr Horgan. Live by the Net, die by the Net.

The letter was as follows:

Dear Sir,

I G Systems Limited

We act on behalf of the Mr. and Mrs. Horgan.

Mr. Horgan is a director of the above named company as you are undoubtedly aware.

Our client has forwarded to us copies of various communications and e-mails of which, amongst others, you are the author.

As a direct result of the activities and publications being made by you, particularly inciting others to make contact with our client at his private residence, you are causing both he and his family to be subjected to an enormous amount of abuse and that is causing them tremendous stress.

In our view you are inciting others to submit these abusive letters and to inundate our client and his family with personal telephone calls and abusive material.

Furthermore, as a result of your actions we are of the opinion that you are breaching a number of Articles brought into force by the Human Rights Act 1998.

We must ask you to refrain from your activities immediately.

Our Clients instructions are that he will not hesitate to take proceedings against you for damages and to seen an injunction to restrain you from further publication and we would hope that this would not prove necessary.

Yours Faithfully,

Austin, Ryder and Co

* This phrase was famously uttered by Robert Lindsay as Wolfie Smith in top BBC comedy Citizen Smith, while standing outside Tooting Broadway tube station, south London (or was it Tooting Bec?). He was a fantasy revolutionary. ®

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