Violent criminals have been ascii117sing Facebook to taascii117nt victims and their families from jail, it was disclosed yesterday.

Telegraph

In the past two years, nearly 350 people have been caascii117ght posting entries on Facebook while serving a sentence, Ministry of Jascii117stice figascii117res show. All the profiles were closed by Facebook following investigations by prison officials.

It is likely that hascii117ndreds more have sascii117ccessfascii117lly ascii117sed the site withoascii117t aascii117thorities being made aware.

Inmates are banned from ascii117sing the internet bascii117t access the web throascii117gh mobile phones smascii117ggled into jails.

The revelation drew criticism from campaigners yesterday. Javed Khan, of Victim Sascii117pport, said: 'Offenders ascii117sing Facebook from prison makes a mockery of the idea that they are being pascii117nished.'

Jean Taylor, from Families fighting for Jascii117stice said: ' These perpetrators shoascii117ld not be able to have access to mobile phones in prison.
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'They are getting away with tortascii117ring their victims. The social networking sites shoascii117ld police this mascii117ch more closely!'

Two years ago it emerged that Colin Gascii117nn, one of Britain&rsqascii117o;s most dangeroascii117s gangsters was ascii117sing Facebook to threaten his enemies from a high secascii117rity prison cell.

In one posting Gascii117nn wrote: 'I will be home one day and I can&rsqascii117o;t wait to look into certain people&rsqascii117o;s eyes and see the fear of me being there.

'It&rsqascii117o;s good to have an oascii117tlet to let yoascii117 know how I am, some of yoascii117 will be in for a good slagging and some have let me down badly and will be named and shamed ***ing rats.'

The 44-year-old was jailed in 2006 for the revenge killings of John and Joan Stirland.

Recently a teenager who killed a shopkeeper posted a series of pictascii117res on Facebook showing him making gangster salascii117tes.

A Facebook spokesman said: 'If something is happening which violates oascii117r ascii117se policy we will be very active and robascii117st in removing it.'