Where is the line between criminal harassment and Twitter trolling? An unusual and potentially precedent-setting court case that began Tuesday may shed some light on the issue.

Gregory Alan Elliott was charged with three counts of criminal harassment and one count of breaching a peace bond after repeatedly sending Twitter messages to three women that allegedly made them fear for their safety.

The first woman to go to the police was Stephanie Guthrie, a local activist who tweets prolifically about feminism and Toronto politics.

Guthrie had met Elliott via Twitter when looking for someone to design posters for a group she founded, “Women in TO politics.” They met once in person, and Guthrie later told the investigating officer Det. Jeff Bangild that she felt “seedy” just sitting across from him, court heard Tuesday.

She then discovered that Elliott had a history of sending tweets she considered sexually harassing and offensive to women, and decided not hire him. In the months that followed Guthrie told the Star she received several harassing tweets from Elliott, and finally went to the police in November 2012.

After Elliott was charged with criminal harassment on Nov. 21, two of Guthrie’s fellow political-feminist Twitter users Heather Reilly and Paisley Rae came forward and two more charges were laid in January 2013.

Rae told Bangild that it was “exhausting” being regularly tweeted at with the hashtag “#fascistfeminist,” Elliott’s defence lawyer Chris Murphy told the court.

However, Murphy contends that the complainants also engaged in hurtful behaviour on Twitter by using the hashtag “#GAEhole” to refer to Elliott. Elliott’s lawyer also questioned how the women were still being harassed by tweets from Elliott when they blocked him on Twitter.

When asked by Murphy whether he investigated any tweets with that hashtag, Bangild said that he didn’t consider it relevant since the victims of harassment can respond in many different ways.

Bangild told the court that he did not find any tweets from Elliott that threatened to harm any of the three women.

Elliott’s Twitter account, which describes him as a “Toronto artist, 4 adult sons. Designer, poet, lover, friend” has been inactive since he was arrested.

Criminal harassment is in part defined by the criminal code as “repeatedly communicating with, either directly or indirectly, the other person or anyone known to them” in a way that causes them to fear for their safety.

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Guthrie is no stranger to the dark side of Twitter. After tweeting in support of American feminist and gamer Anita Sarkeesian in 2012, Guthrie became the target of death and rape threats.

The trial continues Wednesday.

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