Bebo 111

I'm sure that the majority of you reading this will know about the stabbing of the Auckland Grammar student Augustine Borrell. If you haven't, he's a 17 year old who was stabbed outside a Herne Bay party. But the major aid to the police was Bebo...

As all of you are probably familiar with Bebo and Myspace, you know that it is used by our generation and younger, where everyone comments each other with personal stuff and often gossip. Well the name of the killer was announced on Bebo by one of the users, therefore giving the police a starting point for questioning someone. The person they questioned was in fact the person who has been charged with the murder. Bebo helped to find a killer...so maybe Bebo is going to become a tool where the police can track down criminals by surfing through their page and their friends' pages?

Another twist to the case was that name suppression for the accused was granted and the judge has granted this suppression through the internet too, targeting Bebo in particular. This being a downside to Bebo, as anyone can gossip and throw names around. This NZ Herald link explains in further detail how any person mentioning the convicted murderers name on a website will be prosecuted:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=124&objectid=10463280

Another point I found interesting was when I searched for Augustine's Bebo page. I found it and found all his friends pages. His friends' pages are littered with "RIP Augustine" tributes...the teen way of remembering and grieving for Augustine. But from looking at the Bebo pages, I have come to not entirely believe the media in their depiction of Augustine...you be the judge though...

http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId=2014118221

So is Bebo an aid for Police? A new tool to help find criminals? Could it help us find Madeleine? I believe it is to an extent, but as we all know, don't believe everything you see on the internet! Dr Phil doesn't like Bebo and Myspace and he seems to know a thing or too...