I agree that a troll would probably pay to terrorise if they really wanted to. I also don't think banning proxy servers is the most practical either, as previously discussed there are some members that would not be able to access the site if they really needed to. My other half works in telecommunications, and does know his stuff to an extent, and can't actually see any other ways to prevent what is happening, other than what has already been suggested.

My only suggestions would be: A firm set of forum rules, if someone / a new member breaks those rules then the post is deleted as soon as a mod is able, and a polite message is sent reminding them of the rules. 9 times out of 10, if the poster is genuine, they will see it's a friendly reminder and could post again perhaps leaving out horrendous details, or anything that may cause problems. That, or we could carry on as before with mods editing posts to be more 'suitable'.

My second suggestion is more moderators, particularly in varied timezones, who can keep an eye out and quickly delete any posts that are clearly malicious. I don't mean go at it like there is no such thing as free speech, but if someone is clearly trying to cause trouble then to use their discretion and get rid of those posts before there is a chance for other members to see them. I would suggest the mods need to be people that can read about things in graphic detail etc and not be too upset by it. If we have more eyes on the boards then there is more chance of these people / person getting stopped in their tracks.

It's such a hard topic. It's hard that we really just do not know who is a genuine new member and who isn't. I agree that ignoring is also a great thing to do, but I also fear they may then take things to more extreme levels which would still cause upset, unless deleted off the boards quickly.

I think more mods is the way to go, with a firm set of forum rules (which everyone could be a part of deciding) - any posts that do not meet those rules should be deleted. It may seem a little harsh, but most genuine people would not take offence and would understand, in my opinion.