THERE is no doubt that Joanne Fraill has been particularly stupid.

But, as the first juror to be prosecuted for contempt of court for using Facebook to contact a defendant, she has also been a little unlucky.

Having heard how she caused a drugs trial, costing £6m, to collapse through her reckless use of the internet, senior judges were in a position where they had to send a strong message to jurors.

They jailed Fraill for eight months – making it clear that the criminal justice system cannot be undermined by jurors discussing or researching cases online.

The farcical case of Manchester United star Ryan Giggs, who tried in vain to use a court injunction to stifle information leaking out about his infidelity, underlined the huge challenges facing the judiciary in the age of the internet.

Social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter have so far proved impossible to control.

The courts, therefore, had to come down hard to show they will not stand for jurors jeopardising the integrity of the legal process.

It is not uncommon for muggers and the like to get suspended sentences, so Joanne Fraill will feel harshly treated as faces her first day behind bars today.

We have sympathy for her three children and three step-children.

But she is the victim of her own undoubted foolishness – and the need for the courts to lay down a very clear marker.