I always feel a bit uncomfortable when I hear about things like this where there is no physical damage or loss, or even threat of such, but the 'perpetrator' is given punishment. Where should the line be drawn for emotional damage of this nature? Maddie jokes? cheating on partners? unrelenting bullying for years? Surely many other deliberate activities cause far more emotional harm and distress than some stranger posting comments on some facebook page (which coud easily have been removed by the page admin presumably?). But I don't see the police arresting school bullies or cheaters. Feels like an inconsistency to me. If this way of causing emotional distress is criminal, then why are all forms of causing emotional distress not criminal?
But in any case, I am still trying to work out in my own mind whether any form of emotional distress should really be a crime... If it was, I don't know whose standards you would use, and it seems like a part of life that the state should not really interfere in. I'm still thinking on that one.
But anyway, once the court has decided that this behaviour is indeed criminal, I suppose unless there is some kind of principled stand behind this mans activities as there is with the 'naked rambler', (and it doesn't sound like there is) re offence will presumably be prevented, and it will put off other potential offenders. The sentence does seem quite high for the activity though tbh. If you had asked me last week what I thought the potential punishment for such activities would be, I would have expected facebook to restrict your account or ban your IP or something, not a jail term!
Anyway, on a side note, he does look a bit trollish!