Tuesday 15 January 2013

Times Are Clearly Hard!

Solicitor Vaughan Whistance, in mitigation, said: "He intended to go Christmas shopping but temptation got the better of him. My client is from a travelling community and works as a scrap metal dealer, but times are hard and that has impacted on his income."
/facepalm
Mr Whistance urged magistrates to deal with Curtis by way of a financial penalty.
He was given a Band B fine of £70, reduced from £110 due to his guilty plea, and was ordered to pay a £20 victim surcharge and £85 court costs.
The 12 year old girl he took with him on his little spree? She'll face Coventry Youth Court in the New Year, apparently...

10 comments:

Robert the Biker said...

Yet another thieving pikey; why not bang them up? How is it 'mitigation' that someone is'tempted' to steal nearly a grands worth of hair removers (?)

SadButMadLad said...

So times are hard and he has no income. How is he going to pay the fine. Why not just lock him up.

John Pickworth said...

"...when he stole two 'No No' hair removal devices for family members."

Family members my arse. High value portable items... they'd have been sold cheaply for cash in the back of a pub. This isn't shop lifting (little old lady style) this is naked theft with a touch of Fagin and should attract a jail term at the very least. It wouldn't be a bad idea to jail the prosecutor too because they're obviously useless.

Macheath said...

works as a scrap metal dealer, but times are hard

That the theft occurred on the same day that a ban came into force on cash payments for scrap metal is, presumably, mere coincidence, but an interesting one nonetheless...

Macheath said...

JP, 'he stole two No No hair removal devices for family members', 'The 12-year-old [...] had also stolen a No No hair removal kit and a ELOS quartz hair removal kit'.

It certainly suggests an interesting degree of hirsutism if the items were indeed all for 'family members'; perhaps they should abandon the scrap metal business and start charging folk to see the bearded ladies.

Tatty said...

Temptation must be eradicated so ... following the same logic as the anti-smokers.... why aren't there taxpayer funded campaigners out there demanding that ALL goods for sale are hidden behind steel shutters. Hmm ?

Yes I know that police give out similair advice to homeowners who have gone out and worked to pay for the goods they keep behind locked doors in their own homes but advice clearly isn't good enough.

It's about time the anti-smoker rules were extended and forcibly applied to all for the sake of the thieving children and thieving minorities who are evidently genetically predisposed to temptation and incomprehension of the law. It's not their fault and we MUST help them, for THEIR sake.

I won't be able to sleep tonight knowing this travesty of injustice continues daily against them and NO ONE cares. it's just inhuman.

*sob*

Anti-Smoking Rhetoric - it's the new Kevin Bacon.

John Pickworth said...

Tatty said...

Temptation must be eradicated so...

But surely, the name of the product was clue enough?

;-)

As for locking away the goodies... it makes you wonder what the retail environment will look like in a generation or twos time? Iris scan before entering the newsagents, DNA/fingerprint check before purchasing that age appropriate bag of icing sugar (a potential explosive) and a doctor's (or Imam's) approval/certificate before being allowed to view the pork pies. Just happy I won't be around to see it.

Rob said...

£70 fine. He could have got a parking ticket and been fined more. Still, as he is part of a protected species it is obviously a complete oversight he was prosecuted at all.

JuliaM said...

"How is it 'mitigation' that someone is'tempted' to steal nearly a grands worth of hair removers (?)"

Search me!

"Family members my arse. High value portable items.."

Quite! Why do magistrates fall for this?

"That the theft occurred on the same day that a ban came into force on cash payments for scrap metal is, presumably, mere coincidence, but an interesting one nonetheless..."

Oh, indeed!

JuliaM said...

"...perhaps they should abandon the scrap metal business and start charging folk to see the bearded ladies."

All together now: 'I was born in the wagon of a travellin' show..'

"It's about time the anti-smoker rules were extended and forcibly applied to all for the sake of the thieving children and thieving minorities who are evidently genetically predisposed to temptation and incomprehension of the law."

Heh! We'd be like Russia - long queues and nothing on the shelves :)

"£70 fine. He could have got a parking ticket and been fined more."

And is about as likely to pay it!