Troll sparks fury at Barlow tweets

An internet troll has sparked a wave of revulsion after mocking Gary Barlow's stillborn baby online - then grumbling that a model had blocked him on Twitter.

Twitter user @MrKennethTong, believed to be former Big Brother contestant Kenneth Tong, posted a number of offensive statements on his account about the grieving musician's late daughter Poppy.

He then claimed he would stop if model and actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley responded to him on Twitter. And he went on to suggest the controversy should enable him to be given a "verified" account on the social networking site, such as those used by prominent figures and celebrities.

The latest comments, which provoked a mass outpouring of anger on Twitter, have been widely condemned by other users and celebrity friends of Barlow and his wife Dawn, who delivered her fourth child stillborn in London on Saturday.

The Take That star's fellow X Factor judge Louis Walsh was among those calling for Tong to be banned from the microblogging website.

He wrote in a tweet: "How DISGUSTING. This man should not be allowed on twitter. RETWEET this if you want him banned!" He added: "Kenneth Tong shouldn't be allowed to tweet such horrible things. His tweets to Gary Barlow are horrific & disrespectful to the lowest level."

Tong, who appeared on series 10 of Big Brother in 2009, referenced lyrics from a number of Take That songs in the series of tweets directed at 41-year-old Barlow. He also posted a picture of a child's coffin accompanied by more sickening comments.

Pop star Professor Green was among other celebrities to criticise Tong. He tweeted: "@MrKennethTong never in my life seen such a disgusting case of attention seeking ... please never have children."

But unruffled Tong appeared to be relishing his moment in the spotlight with a later Tweet which said: "With all my controversy and continued notoriety, twice over, I deserve to be Verified by Twitter. Do you lot agree?"

And referring to Transformers 3 star Huntington-Whiteley, he said: "Why vilify me when it's @RHW that's the culprit. All she needs to do is tell me to stop and I will behave." He added: "Cannot believe Rosie Huntington-Whiteley blocked me."