This Author Tracked Down A Reader Who Gave His Book A Bad Review And Smashed Them Over The Head With A Wine Bottle

BBC- An author tracked down a teenager in Fife and hit her over the head with a bottle after she gave his book a bad review, a court has heard. Richard Brittain, a former champion on the TV programme Countdown, travelled from England and used Facebook to find Paige Rolland, 18, at her work. He admitted assaulting Miss Rolland with a bottle to her severe injury on 3 October 2014 at Asda, Glenrothes. Sheriff Martin Jones deferred sentence until a later date. A motion for bail was refused. Glasgow Sheriff Court heard Brittain uploaded part of a published book of his called The World Rose onto a website called Wattpad, where people can read and critique literature written by others. Miss Rolland read the excerpt of Brittain’s book and left comments about it.bProcurator fiscal depute Harry Findlay said: “The complainer had read some of that material and gave feedback of what she thought to be the merits or otherwise of the book. “The feedback was negative. What followed were comments made by the accused which give an indication that he was displeased.” In October last year, Brittain went to the Asda store Miss Rolland worked in after she began her shift. Mr Findlay said: “He went to the alcohol aisle and picked up a bottle of wine, he then went to the aisle where the complainer was working. “He approached her from behind, she was kneeling down collecting cereal from the bottom shelf of the aisle. “While doing so, the accused approached without warning, any provocation or words and he struck the complainer on the back of the head with the bottle. 

I’m torn on this story.  On the one hand, people shouldn’t be smashing wine bottles over other people’s heads regardless of the situation. We’re living in a society with rules and laws. Not to mention it’s a psycho move to track down a random person on the internet who wrote something bad about you. It’s next-level psycho to get so worked up about it that you physically assault the person. That’s my civilized side saying that. The side of me that walks around 99.9% of the time. The side that holds doors for people and says a friendly hello to strangers on the street. Then the other side of me thinks GOOD. I’m glad this happened. I’m glad this person who left a randomly bad review on this guy’s book got hit over the head with a wine bottle.  It’s like the crazy and extreme version of the Seinfeld episode where Jerry goes and boos a lady at her work after she heckled him. Except instead of giving this person a bad review at their job, the author assaulted them. A better example would be Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back. I support it. Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe less trolls would be assholes on the internet if they knew there was a small chance somebody might find them and plant a bottle of merlot in the back of their head. Or perhaps this is what plunges us into anarchy.