Doting Mom Katie Price Says 'Trolling Should Be A Criminal Offense'

Katie Price has spoken out about her distressing encounters with online trolling.

The dedicated mother of five has revealed that, even though she frequently portrays a strong front, comments concerning her eldest son, Harvey, deeply affect her. The disabled adult, who suffers from Prader-Willi Syndrome, autism, and partial blindness, has endured hurtful and hateful comments on the internet over the years.

Following the continuous attacks against Harvey, Katie initiated a petition advocating for online abuse to be recognized as a criminal offense in 2017. Soon after the launch of Harvey's Law, the former television star garnered significant public support and went as far as appearing before the Commons Petitions Committee alongside her mother, Amy Price.

However, she encountered obstacles when it became evident that prosecuting online trolls for criminal behavior was challenging. Speaking to OK! about the issue, the 45-year-old explained:

"I've been working on Harvey's Law - about finding ways to track trolls - and that's still in the Houses of Parliament. I just think it's really important for it to be clear at what level things are taken too far. Trolling should be a criminal offence."

Adding that she also wants the documentation of a register of offenders, Katie continued saying, "Everyone is entitled to freedom of speech and the right to have a laugh, but I get comments calling my son a Black n****r s*****c. They're the ones that get to me the most."

This will not be the media personality's first time publicly shaming trolls in the "fight" for her son. In fact, BBC News reported in February that she had published a letter from the Met Police informing her that officers are facing misconduct proceedings regarding their alleged involvement in a WhatsApp group targeting the 21-year-old. 

An investigator from the Met's professional standards department told her, via the note, that, "A number of Metropolitan Police officers are alleged to have breached the standards of professional behavior in regards to discreditable conduct."

Beneath the heart-wrenching image, Katie condemned, "It's disgusting that police officers from here have felt the need to laugh and use disgusting content on Harvey by creating a WhatsApp group. I would attend this court day but I'm away. They need to be named, shamed and exposed."

In case you missed it, the English model had called for eight officers, who were under investigation for allegedly sharing inappropriate material about Harvey on WhatsApp, to be publicly identified. She had expressed her concern at the time, stating, "I don't like the police being horrible to Harvey."

In August, The Blast disclosed that Katie's plan to welcome another child hit the wall when her surrogate allegedly backed out of their deal. As it turned out, the woman, whose identity remains confidential, apparently felt mistreated by the "Shooting Stars" guest star during their initial one-on-one encounter, leading her to feel disrespected.

Subsequently, this surrogate decided to withdraw from the arrangement. This decision came after nearly a year of building a connection with the television personality, which began back in October 2022. 

With so much time already gone, the individual expressed regret over investing so much time in the relationship. She believed she could have spent that time bonding with another person who would have likely valued the opportunity to use her as a surrogate. As one source claimed:

"Katie's surrogate feels completely let down. She sacrificed a lot of time and energy getting to know Katie and verbally agreeing to carry her baby, which is a huge decision."

After clarifying that "this was something" that the surrogate was looking forward to doing until she finally met Katie in person, and "she was treated appallingly," the insider added:

"The surrogate feels she was disrespected by Katie, who also didn't make her children feel welcome and she certainly wasn't appreciated, considering the sacrifice she was willing to make."

Until she meets another willing surrogate to handle things, the Blatchington Mill School and Sixth Form College alum will have her eyes on her five kids, whom she shares with three different men. 

While she shares Harvey with ex-Manchester United footballer, Dwight Yorke, she shares her second son and first daughter — Junior and Princess — with Peter Andre. The other two kids — Jett and Bunny — came into Katie's life during her marriage to third husband, Kieran Hayler, making him their father.