SMS in Law

South African "SMS murder" - 2 July 2004

"Van Aardt was strangled with Strauss's shoelace and then buried in a shallow grave near Julyan's house. The case has become known in South Africa as the "SMS murder" after Strauss sent text messages to his British-based former girlfriend about the murder. [ Daily News ]

Tale of Sex, Text and Murder, grips Sweden - 10 June 2004

A nanny, a clergyman, mobile phone messages from God and murder are the keys to a complicated crime which has captivated Sweden since the start of the year, reports Reuters.

"In a country known for cutting-edge mobile phone technology, SMS messages have emerged as vital evidence.

Dagens Nyheter, one of Sweden's top broadsheet newspapers, said the Knutby case demonstrated how the latest technology could be used to foster religious fanaticism. God appearing by mobile phone is of course no stranger than him appearing in a burning bush," it said in an editorial".

Wireless Messages Used as Evidence in Court - 5 June 2004

Jon Sarche for the Associated Press writes how more and more, text messages are being used as evidence in court cases.

Sarche points out that "the NBA star Kobe Bryant case appears to be the first high-profile U.S. criminal case in which cell phone text messages could be entered into the docket. But in Europe and Asia, where texting is hugely popular, some criminal cases have hinged on them".

Mobile Phone Held Drug Deal Details - 31 May 2004

Australia's Border Mail reports on yet another case where text messaging has been used as evidence in court. In this case, a Rutherglen man was arrested on drug trafficking charges. Most of the 400 SMS stored on his cell phone were related to drug deals.