French computer worker fined for insulting minister
A French computer technician was slapped with a suspended 1,000 euro fine on Wednesday for "insulting a public official" after he sent an email attack on Justice Minister Rachida Dati.
Damien Chiboub, 25, was prosecuted after sending a message to the town hall of seventh district of Paris, where Dati is mayor, after admitting creating an email account based on a vulgar phrase personally insulting to the minister.
From this address, he sent a message reading: "Useless, useless, useless, the people will get you!" Prosecutor Francoise Champonneaux had sought a suspended one-month prison sentence, and dismissed the defence case that Chiboub had been testing the limits of free speech when sent his critique from the offending address.
