Teenager arrested after sending mean Tweets to British diver

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Published time: July 31, 2012 09:14
Edited time: July 31, 2012 13:14

A teenager has been detained after sending malicious tweets to British Olympic diver Tom Daley, accusing him of failing his late father by missing out on a medal.

The 18 year old and his partner Pete Waterfield finished fourth in the men’s synchronized 10m platform diving event on Monday.

Shortly after user Rileyy69 sent Daley a tweet saying: “You let your dad down I hope you know that.”

Daley, whose father and main driving force behind his son’s success died last year from brain cancer, responded by tweeting: “After giving it my all… you get idiots sending me this…”

Police reacted rapidly and arrested the suspect at a guest house in Weymouth a few hours later.

“A 17-year-old man was arrested by Dorset Police officers in the early hours this morning at a guesthouse in the Weymouth area on suspicion of malicious communications,” a police spokesperson said.

“He is currently helping police with their inquiries.”

The news comes hours after yet another Twitter incident at the Olympics. On Monday, Swiss footballer Michel Morganella was expelled from the London Games after he racially abused the South Korean team.