Emma Thomas was targeted by a Facebook troll after losing her baby

by Dan Bloom

A woman who is pregnant three years after she endured a still-birth is furious at being taunted by an online 'troll'.

Emma Thomas, 23, discovered the Dead Baby Jokes page on Facebook after joining a mums' support group.

She wrote on the page, which has 64,000 members making jokes about infant deaths, and said it should be banned – sparking one user to send her a "disgusting" direct message.

She deleted the message, but claimed it said: "What's the difference between your baby and an onion? No one cried when they cut up your baby."

"what's the difference between your baby and an onion? no one cried when they cut up your baby…” – sick message sent to emma thomas on facebook

The building firm administrator, of Mill Close, Strood, said: "The humour is absolutely disgusting, it destroys any mum that's lost a child."

Mrs Thomas had her first baby, Scarlett, by natural birth in 2009, despite knowing she had already died of a placenta abruption.

The condition affects one in 100 pregnancies and is when the placenta lining separates from the uterus, causing heavy bleeding.

Mrs Thomas discovered the offensive page after she joined the Cherished Whispers support group, set up by Chatham mum-of-three Cheryl Morley, who has had four miscarriages.

She said: "I know mums who complain open up a gate to these people to attack them. OK, it’s easy enough to say 'I’m coming off Facebook', but otherwise these mums have nothing. They could go down the route of drugs, alcohol or suicide."

Facebook refuses to ban the pages despite several petitions, including one with more than 20,000 signatures by Gravesend mum Jessamy O’Neill.

A spokesman said pornography, bullying, hate speech and violent threats were banned - but dead baby jokes were allowed.

The Dead Baby Jokes Facebook page has more than 66,000 'likes'

The spokesman added: "In general, groups devoted to jokes, even disgusting and distasteful ones, do not violate our policies. Where these groups make real threats or statements of hate, however, we will remove them."

But Ms Morley said: "It's ridiculous to quote freedom of speech, that's rubbish."

Cheryl Morley, 51, has raised £7,000 for memory boxes since founding Cherished Whispers in November with her partner Doug Snowden, 55.

She said: "I just want people to remember that for every horrible person there are 60 wonderful people."