In a completely bizarre incident- not to mention a huge blow to social networking- a man in the UK has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife over her “status change” on social networking platform Face Book.

Wayne Forrester murdered his wife Emma on 18 february 2008. The couple had been together for for 15 years, in a marriage which has been described as “volatile and unstable, characterized by periods of seperation and reconcilation”.

Forrester 34, said he killed his wife because she had changed her face book profile status to “single” just 4 days after he moved out of their Croydon, South London home.

Ms. Alex Lewis, the prosecuting lawyer on the case said “He was angry about an entry on Facebook he said made him look like a fool as she had advertised her marital status as single. He accused her of having an affair.”

Forrester said;

“Emma and I had just split up. She forced me out.”

“She then posted messages on an internet website telling everyone she had left me and was looking to meet other men.”

According to BBC news’ report;

“Forrester, an HGV driver, was drunk and high on cocaine when he attacked the mother of two in the early hours as she slept. He beat her, tore out clumps of her hair, and repeatedly stabbed her in the head and neck. Neighbours were woken up by her screams. They found him sitting outside the house covered in blood and called the police.”

Social Networking websites have been hailed as being amongst the best things to happen to the Internet, but this is just about the saddest event yet in their history.