British police have located and arrested a teen who trolled British Olympic diver Tom Daley with a hateful message referencing Daley's late father.
The unnamed 17-year-old was arrested in Weymouth on suspicion of malicious communications, according to the BBC. A member of the public alerted police Monday night, according to the report. A police spokesman was unable to confirm whether the arrest was a direct result of his tweets directed at Daley.
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Daley, 18, has more than 580,000 followers on Twitter. His fourth-place finish in the 10-meter synchronized diving contest on Monday was seen as a disappointment in his native country. One follower appeared to take the sentiment too far. After the event, Twitter user @Rileyy_69 sent Daley a public message reading, "you let your dad down i hope you know that."
Daley's father, whom the diver credits with inspiring his Olympic drive, died of a brain tumor in May 2011.
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Daley then posted this tweet:
After giving it my all...you get idiot's sending me this...RT @Rileyy_69: @TomDaley1994 you let your dad down i hope you know that
— Tom Daley (@TomDaley1994) July 30, 2012
Daley's harasser later tweeted an apology, saying he didn't know of the star diver's father dying last year. But when Daley didn't respond, Riley reverted back to his prior form:
@TomDaley1994 why don't you respond to me you prick stop getting me hate alright I've said I'm sorry now fuck off
— ЯIᄂΣY JЦПIӨЯ (@Rileyy_69) July 30, 2012
The user's Twitter account was later suspended.
BONUS GALLERY: The Must-Follow Olympians on Twitter
1. Lolo Jones
Jones, whose social media success we profiled in May, is the standard bearer for Olympians on Twitter. She's honest, hilarious, tweets often, and is a world class hurdler for the United States.
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Thumbnail image courtesy @TomDaley1994
This story originally published on Mashable here.
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