Online trolls who joked about a convicted drug dealer's hair have been warned by cops they could be prosecuted for the comments.
An image of Jermaine Taylor issued by Gwent Police attracted a staggering 76,000 comments, poking fun at his unusual hairdo.
The 21-year-old from Newport, Wales, is wanted by police on recall to prison.
He was released on licence after being jailed for three years for being concerned in the supply of cocaine at Cardiff Crown Court in September 2017.
However, he breached the terms of his licence conditions upon release, and officers had hoped that releasing a picture of him would help them find him.
But instead, thousands of people took to social media to mock his unusual hairdo, BirminghamLive reports.
One Facebook user posted: ‘That hairline goes further back than Woolworths.’
While another added: ‘Push his release date back further than his hairline that should teach him.’
A third wrote: ‘He was last seen in town; police are combing the area’, while another joked: ‘He’s vanished into thin hair.’
But Gwent Police didn’t see the funny side of the comments and said: “Please remember that harassing, threatening and abusing people on social media can be against the law.
“Our advice is to be as careful on social media as you would in any other form of communication.
“If you say something about someone which is grossly offensive or is of an indecent, obscene or menacing character, then you could be investigated by the police.”
Their post was then mocked by hundreds of Facebook users.
Daniel Knox-Hewson posted: “Can’t work out what’s thinner. This guy’s hair or Gwent Police’s skin?”
James Fisher joked: “You already lost one criminal. Keep ya hair on.”
