Tuesday 25 October 2011

How Low Can You Go?

A father who robbed two terrified teenage girls on their way to school blamed it on his young son being diagnosed with a heart murmur.
Not even that he’d just had that terrible news and had a minor breakdown, mind you:
Tim Noble turned to drink, drugs and a criminal lifestyle after his child had three open heart surgeries in the last two years, Bristol Crown Court heard.
And I’d love to know why his partner isn’t in the dock as an accomplice:
The court heard he was being driven to Asda by his partner to buy a bottle of vodka at around 8am on September 9 when he saw two girls he knew walking to school.

His partner stopped the car and then Noble demanded the 14-year-olds' phones and cigarettes.
He proved quite a chatty sort of mugger, too:
"I feel like a ***** but these things have to be done," he told them, before adding, "I take it this is the first time you've been robbed?"
It’s only a wonder he didn’t ask them to complete a satisfaction survey…
Darren Burleigh, defending, described Noble's behaviour as "stupid and ridiculous".

He said: "He is ashamed, as he should be.

"He doesn't seek to minimise what he has done."
Oooh, that’s novel!

And also wrong, as – no doubt without even pausing for breath – the mitigation followed:
"He had consumed a significant amount of alcohol and substances the evening before and through the night.

"There was an argument with his partner about money.

"It is out of character. There was no weapon, no actual use of violence.

"He let their minds run wild with what he would do if they had not submitted to his commands. "
For once, the judge wasn’t buying it:
Judge David Ticehurst said the defendant "deliberately targeted school girls because they were vulnerable".

He said: "He was not so befuddled by alcohol that he targeted a large man or a rugby player so he was clearly thinking that clearly."
Heh! Nice one, your honour.
"In your statement to me you said 'I'm always a really friendly, nice, outgoing person'. Not to these girls you weren't.

"You said 'I'm a great dad'. Your son needs your support, not someone who takes drugs."
He handed down a sentence of two years. But we all know it’s going to be less…

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

"How Low Can You Go?"

Drop your sights lower and even you could land a man,Julia.Heh!

Woman on a Raft said...

the mitigation followed:

No it didn't. Nothing in that pile of nonsense is mitigation. If anything, it is aggravation topped-off by the moral imbecillity of trying to hide behind a child's illness to explain behaviour which shows the defendant should never be allowed unsupervised access to the child.

Well done to Judge Ticehurst for making a stand against this insulting tosh. More of this, please.

I should be a lawyer said...

Interesting he demanded ciggies from under-age 'smirkers' and they had them to give.

I expect the anti-fag gestapo will be checking out this disturbing factoid.

However, his mitigation could have been he was trying to keep them healthy. If he has said: "These cancer sticks will shorten your life" instead of asking if they'd been robbed before, the court may well have awarded him a medal.

Captain Haddock said...

A Judge demonstrating common sense ?

I bet he's about as popular as a fart in a space-suit amongst his peers .. ;)

JuliaM said...

"...and even you could land a man,Julia."

*gets keep net and priest ready*

"Well done to Judge Ticehurst for making a stand against this insulting tosh. More of this, please."

Seconded!

"However, his mitigation could have been he was trying to keep them healthy."

Heh!