Friday 19 October 2012

Oh, Well, It's Another One On The DNA Database, Eh?

Remember this story? Well, it seems the police now have their 'clear picture':
...police last week closed their investigation into the death of William Phillips.
Mr Phillips, of Derby Street, died following an altercation near to the doctors’ surgery in Oak Street, Norwich, which took place at about 8.50am on Wednesday, July 18.
Police said last week that no further action would be taken against a 22-year-old man arrested in connection with the incident, and Mr Phillips’ family was also informed. A Norfolk police spokesman said a team had concluded that no criminal offences had been committed in relation to his death, and it was no longer being treated as suspicious.
Oh, well. At least you got a cyclist's DNA, eh? Maybe it'll come in useful later?

Some curious comments about him, however, amongst the tributes:
Su Waterman said: “I feel terribly sad to have just heard the news about Will. I used to own the cafe on St Benedicts Street ‘House’.
“Will would often come in a for a cup of tea and a chat. His condition meant he might sometimes cross certain boundaries but he knew when he was ‘misbehaving’.
“Those on the street who knew him, knew he meant no harm and he always apologised if he ‘overstepped the mark’.”
Hmmm...
Another friend, Genevieve Marten added: “Will was a wonderful guy, very intelligent, enthusiastic and so positive about life. He had a difficult disease that people could not relate to, so he could not control his nerves.
He was very misjudged due to a lack of understanding.
Often, the medication was enough to let the real Will shine through. I feel honoured to have been able to know him.”
How very odd. Does it shed more light on why an innocent man was arrested?

H/T: Dave Ward via email

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Who's decision is it to take DNA off people at point of arrest instead of charge?
Not mine.
But please post under here about how we are all jobsworths and breaking the law.
Jaded.
PS I'm off to work now,don't let me down when I check on here later.

Noggin the Nog said...

Jaded,

Most of your lot are jobsworths who are breaking the law.

PS It's not work.

Umbongo said...

Slightly OT but this just points up the nonsense of Grayling graciously allowing householders to use "disproportionate" force on housebreakers. The problem is not the existing law, it's the way the police enforce it. As usual, the punishment's in the process.

For instance, there was no need for the police to arrest the Ferries and hold them for 40 hours. AFAIAA the Ferries were and are a respectable, law-abiding and tax-paying couple fairly well-known locally. They weren't going anywhere (except, in due course, to Australia as emigrants). But no, the police "service" banged them up and, presumably without delay, obtained their DNA and fingerprints (which would now - with the fact of their arrest - be on semi-permanenet record). Common sense suggests that this was a ludicrous over-reaction by the police. Had the proposed law been in force at the time, I'm pretty confident that the Ferries would still have been punished by the process "disproportionate" response to burglary or not.

Ivor The Engine said...

Old Noggin the Twat really cannot help himself - clearly another MTG needing regular meds. As sweeping statements go Noggin, your comment will take some beating.

Noggin the Nog said...

Ivor,

If anything needs beating, it's you, about the head, like a red-headed step-child.

MTG said...

Yes, there's a plod calamity for every day of the year but if you need a silver lining, just imagine plod types employed as Air Traffic Controllers and voilà!

JuliaM said...

"Who's decision is it to take DNA off people at point of arrest instead of charge?
Not mine.
But please post under here about how we are all jobsworths and breaking the law."


The 'I vas only obeyink ze orders' defence? Really, Jaded, I expected better...

"Slightly OT but this just points up the nonsense of Grayling graciously allowing householders to use "disproportionate" force on housebreakers. "

Yup. Just hot air. They manage to not arrest in the States, they could do it here. If they wanted.

But they don't seem to want to. Odd, that...