The Great British Justice System: Keeping Death On The Road...

A man was given a fresh chance for being caught at the wheel of a car four months after being banned.

Majid Hussain, 35, was spotted in a damaged BMW as he pulled onto Colwick Road in Sneinton, a court heard. Police followed it on the Racecourse Island onto Daleside Road and across the Lady Bay Bridge, said Lucky Thandi, prosecuting.

"Three vehicles were involved in the pursuit, illuminated emergency lights and made a tactical stop," she told Nottingham Crown Court.

Yes, the sort of thing you'll have seen on those fly on the wall cop shows, manoeuvres that the police only do in desperation.

She told the court that Hussain had 25 previous offences on his record. In December, he was given a six-month suspended prison sentence for dangerous driving. He was also banned from driving at the time.

That worked well, didn't it? And with a record like that, why on earth should he get a suspended?

Chris Brewin, mitigating, said Hussain has been making good progress in dealing with medical problems.

Being a law-breaking shithead isn't a medical condition. Or is it, now? I can't keep up!

Experts felt that a prison term could hamper that process.

Ah, 'experts'....

"He had a fairly calamitous breakdown a couple of years ago and lost his family and business. He is building himself back up," added Mr Brewin on behalf of Hussain who lives in Lancaster Road, Bakersfield.

By refusing to comply with the terms our toothless legal system imposes?

Judge Steven Coupland imposed a four-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, for driving while disqualified on March 7. Hussain pleaded guilty.

He told Hussain: "This is a last chance. Don't let me down. If you do, then prison lies at the end of the road."

Just how many 'last chances' has he had?

The judge ordered Hussain to attend a probation course to improve his "thinking skills."

The legal system needs to send its own people on these.

Nature, Red In .... Beak And Claw?

Crows left a toddler dripping with blood when they swooped on him in his buggy. The two-year-old boy was out with his mother in Wish Road, Hove, when three of the black birds pecked him in an unprovoked attack.

Hmmm, unprovoked? 

Resident Helen Laguea carried out first aid on the boy after her father, David Husbands, witnessed the horror as he walked through the street.

 'The horror'...

“The woman couldn’t believe how aggressive the birds were. She said there were three of them.

“Blood was coming from his head and he was crying as his mum examined him.

“I nipped back to my daughter’s house opposite to get some antiseptic wipes and she sat on the doorstep to clean him up.

“After five or ten minutes they went on their way.

“As they left, one of the crows brazenly flew down and perched on a nearby post.”

It's picking its next victim! But seriously, is there no clue to this sort of behaviour?

Mrs Laguea, 39, said the aggressive crows, who are nesting in a tree next to Wish Park, began harassing a dog walker shortly after attacking the boy.

Ah. There we go. 

The man, she said, had to “furiously swing a bag of poo” to make them go away.

 I...

I just...

*collapses laughing*

Another Perfect Storm...

Two cyclists needed hospital treatment after a police car answering a 999 call knocked them off their bike on Friday.

The unit was answering an emergency call at the time, using blue lights and sirens. The bicycle was not a tandem.

If that seems an odd thing to add, well, there's actually good reason.

Not that the local rag elaborates, of course. That's left to the commenters:

So who's at fault?

The matter has been advised to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Ah. Of course. Couldn't possibly have been the cyclist!

Another Shaggy Dog Story!

The owner of a wolf-dog living in Worcester has claimed the animal was stolen and taken to Aberystwyth in Wales.

The man, who asked to remain anonymous, had been living in Grosvenor Walk, St John’s. The 33-year-old said two women had cut a hole in the fence and stole seven year old Koda, whose name in Native American means ‘friend’, from the garden on Thursday, May 17.

Just another tale of dog theft? Well, not quite:

The pooch was due to be rehomed on Saturday, May 19.

Hmmm...

He said: “We never got to say goodbye to the dog because someone stole him. “I have had him for seven years, since he was a baby. He slept in my bed.”

The man, who has two young children, said he had tried to rehome the pooch, which is thought to be a mixture of wolf and Husky, when his schedule as a builder became too much.

The mystery deepens!

Previously, residents living nearby the property had voiced concerns for the dog, which they said had been “howling day and night”.

Officers from St John’s and Bedwardine Safer Neighbourhood Team and the RSPCA visited the address to assess the animal.

Police Sergeant Carl Jones said: “West Mercia Police are aware of this incident and have investigated the removal of the dog.”

Note: not the theft of the dog.

The dog has since been rehomed.

Speaking previously, an RSPCA spokesman said: “We are aware of this and have been liaising with the police and the local authority to resolve the situation.”

It appears you've been thwarted by someone, doesn't it?

"For the things people care about, they are not interested.."

Bella restaurant owner Lak Stavrou said it has reached the stage where there is “no point” in calling the police.

He said: “It seems like they are too scared to do anything about it.”

That's ridiculous, Mr Stavrou.

They are too lazy, incompetent or thick. Not scared.

“There are people shouting in the streets, there are aggressive beggars. We need police officers going up and down the street on Friday and Saturday nights.

“There is no reason why there shouldn’t be a police presence, it would really help.”

Clearly, the police feel there is a reason. Perhaps they just don't feel like it?

Some business owners described how drug use around St James’s Street is blatant, while residents reported waking up to find needles, urine and faeces on their doorstep. One resident said: “We get an awful lot of people using the alleyways as a toilet.”

There were complaints that there is often a regular smell of cannabis in the area.

You won't need to walk too far down Southend High Street before you smell cannabis. I often do. And that's in broad daylight!

It's a mystery to me that the police seem unable to detect it.

A member of the community action group reported seeing a live drug deal taking place near her home, but said that officers were always too slow to respond to actually catch dealers.

They argued that if there were more officers out on patrol, they would catch more criminals in the act.

Not if they are like the teeny tiny police officer I saw a while ago, who barely came up to my chin even with her hat on!

Deputy Chief Constable Bernie O’Reilly said: “We have had plain clothes officers stopping and searching people along with uniform patrols, so we are taking action where we can.

“Our officers attended the meeting, and have been speaking with business owners to reassure people that we are out and about.”

They don't seem reassured to me. I wonder why?

Why Should They Listen, When There Are So Few Consequences?

Megan Palmer, 27, and her husband James were trying for their second child but their plans were interrupted following the medical error at Rochford Medical Practice.

What sort?

Megan visited the practice for a vitamin B12 injection, which helps improve fertility.

Instead she was given Depo-Provera, a powerful birth control shot - despite querying the packaging with the nurse.

/facepalm

The subsequent anxiety as to whether she would ever conceive again led to Megan developing a psychological disorder, which was diagnosed by a consultant psychiatrist.

*sceptical face*

The Palmers decided to make a claim for medical negligence against Rochford Medical Practice and won their case. Megan was subsequently awarded £5,500 in compensation.

Is that all?

She added: “We decided we would make a claim because we felt it was important to show how vital it is that nurses listen to their patients.”

Unless the nurse has to pay it directly out of her own pocket, the chances of that happening are vanishingly small.

Is Vehicular Jihad Coming To An End?

A man has been charged after a video showed two elderly women being rammed by a mobility scooter.

Aaron Ali, of Poplar Place, Thamesmead, has been charged with causing actual bodily harm to the two women who were waiting for a bus in Welling.

Couldn't get hold of a lorry?

While in custody on suspicion of ABH, Ali was also charged with possessing cannabis and criminal damage after he allegedly urinated in two police cells and damaged a laptop during questioning.

Ali, 40, will appear at Bromley Magistrates' Court tomorrow (June 20).

Oh, to be a fly on that wall!

Epitaph...

After the case, Connor’s mum Michelle Hitchman said: “The death of my son has caused much heartache and self-destruction, not just to myself but to everyone who knew him. Connor was a loveable rogue and a free spirit.

Oh oh!

“He was loving and caring and he would do anything for anyone. Our hearts will forever be broken and I will forever mourn the loss of my son.

“I wish for us to be alone in peace to grieve.”

Hmm, it seems comments have been left open. I wonder if th...

Ah!

The judge didn't quite put it like that, but he left everyone in no doubt that Ms Hitchman's recollection of her little angel might not quite match with reality:

Judge Gold QC said: “The background to this case amounts to problems between your friends and Connor’s. He and his group were assaulting other boys, recording it on their phones and posting it on social media. Had that behaviour been reported then it could have been dealt with and Connor could well be here today.”

I'm not so sure the outcome would have been that much better if he had.

If You Go Down In The Woods Today...

...you're sure of a big surprise. The chavshrines have been removed!

A woman and her family have been left distraught after tributes left on her late sister’s grave were cleared away.

'Tributes', eh? I can just imagine...

...the family were shocked to discover that decades worth of trinkets and memorabilia, even a hand-made fence around the perimeter of the plot, had been removed by site staff.

Decades worth. Decades!

Ms Goddard said: “If we, as many families do, remember our family member with decorations and memorabilia, then that is our choice. My parents paid for the plot, and now they are being told that they can’t grieve in the way they have for 20 years? I think that is so wrong.

“Some of the plots have been there for thirty or forty years, and I hate to think that an older person who can only visit their child’s grave once a year might go and discover all those personal items missing.”

So this came out of the blue, did it?

Councillor Andrew Moring, executive councillor of corporate and community support at Southend Council said: “Letters were sent to families with officially adopted memorials in November 2017, and notices have been displayed ever since by the memorabilia, so that anyone who hasn’t had official adopted memorials or left their contact details, could be made aware.

“Please be assured, we are not removing any plots. The greatest care has been taken since this work was began on 8th May 2018. We have started to remove all the informal memorabilia that has badly deteriorated and has not been visited for years.

"We took photos of all the sites and numbered them. We are carefully removing the items, boxing them up and are putting a photo on the box so they can be easily recognised. They will be stored for up to six months for collection by the parents.

“We appreciate that many families want to have memorials by their plots, and we offer a range of official adopted memorials, details of which are available at the cemetery office.

“The council is responsible for the area, but has been working closely with Essex Sands to find ways of creating a more pleasant and appropriate environment for the baby and child memorial area.”

Translation: "Enough is enough! Take your moldy teddy bears and ghastly plastic orchids home!"

Entitlement Wars!

A Blue Badge owner has accused Dartford Heath Retail Park of discrimination after...

Oh boy! *settles in with popcorn*

...the disabled parking spaces in its car park were repainted.

Eh? To a colour that upset the colourblind?

Helen Staniforth, 49, drove to Dunelm at the park on Monday afternoon to do some shopping.

When she arrived, she realised the disabled spaces, which are closer to the shop for easy access, had been changed to also cater for parents and children.

Ah! Now I see the problem.

"It's discrimination against disabled people," she told News Shopper.

The mother-of-three added: "I understand you do need spaces for mothers and babies because you need more space to take the car seat out."

But she said there was "no point" in having disabled bays at all if they were dual-use.

Yes, it's 'My needs are greater than yours!' again.

News Shopper contacted London Metric for an explanation as to why the bays had been changed.

A spokesman for the company said: "It is our intention to reinstate a minimum of two of the bays for disabled use only.

"Thereafter, we will monitor usage and feedback.

"We understand the importance of accessibility for all and apologise for parking problems that this has caused in the meantime."

There you go! I now eagerly await the mums with pushchairs registering their disapproval.