He Sent His Ex THIS Emoji, Now He's In Jail

#1 Ex-Boyfriend Sends Threatening Text Messages

A 22-year old Frenchman, Bilal Azougagh, of Pierelatte, has been sentenced to three months in prison for sending his ex-girlfriend a text message that she considered a death threat. The odd story is that it wasn't an actual text message that landed him trouble, it was the emojis he used to express his anger.

#2 Gun Emoji Costs Him 3 Months In Prison

The particular threats contained no words. It was a gun emoji. Several of them in a row. He sent several messages that contained nothing but repeated gun emojis, one after another. The judged ordered the man to six months in jail and $1,100 damages fine. Although three of those months were suspended, some consider this to be a very stiff sentence for what he plead guilty to. However, the 22-year-old was also charged with abuse of a minor, since his girlfriend was only 17 at the time of the incident.

#3 Girl Refused To Sleep Or Leave Her Home

According to several French newspapers, the breakup was very bad and left both of them in deep despair. It led the ex-boyfriend to constantly send his former love text messages non-stop, including the many with the gun emoji. The girl became so distraught after the messages would not cease that she couldn't sleep and refused to leave her home for several weeks in fear that her ex would actually try to kill her. She told the court she was suffering from extreme anxiety and nightmares.

#4 Emojis Can Be Considered Threats

The ex-boyfriend's lawyer argued, an emoji, could hardly be considered a real threat, but the judge strongly disagreed. The judge insisted that a lawyer should have no say over what a woman considers a threat. The court ruled that the emoji could be considered a ‘death threat' and in this case, it was.

#5 This Is Not The First Emoji Threat Arrest

The ruling could set a legal precedent in France. In America, two men were arrested after stalking sending a series of emoji which a court ruled constituted a threat. The men had sent a fist emoji, a pointing emoji, and an ambulance emoji, which police claimed constituted a threat.

Many advocacy groups are trying to urge Apple to get rid of the gun emoji, but it has already been spread to other platforms and is widely used.