Saturday 7 November 2015

I'm Glad I Didn't Do Jury Service In Cambridge...

A father was murdered on New Year's Day after a dispute over a hare coursing bet between two traveller families, a court heard.
Such lovely folks. It's good that we don't tolerate these practices, though, and that the forces of law and order stand ready to...

Ah.
There was "pandemonium" outside Cambridge Crown Court this afternoon after bare-chested fighting broke out.
Police said the disorder involved 30 people – but witnesses claimed there were many more gathered on either side of East Road.
One witness told the News the incident began when one group dashed across the road and damaged a van parked outside the Grafton Centre car park.
"They were running between the cars after each other – it was horrendous," they said.
"There was shouting, yelling and scuffles all over the place. It's fair to say it was pandemonium."
People were also locked inside the court building while the trouble was dispersed.
The News reporter covering the case also reported that police had batons drawn, although they were not used.
Of course not! Not with Professional Standards ready at their desks to receive a phone call....
Mark Mosley, 43, was today found guilty of the murder of father-of-four Jessie Smith, 36, on New Year's Day at a travellers' site in First Drove in Burwell.
Mosley killed Mr Smith with a shotgun blast, delivered at close range, to his back.
Absolute scum. No-one could possibly find anything to commend in such a...

Wait. What?
Detective Inspector Al Page, from the Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, who led the investigation, said: "The actions of Mark Mosley mean that four children will now have to grow up without their father and nothing can bring him back. However, I hope the result today provides Jessie's family with some comfort and allows them to continue re-building their lives.
"This has been a very difficult trial as Mosley broke every rule of traveller culture, in which disputes are resolved by a fair fight between individuals, without resorting to the use of weapons.
"He armed himself with a sawn-off shotgun and started firing it at members of the Smith group indiscriminately. We are extremely lucky his actions did not lead to the death of more than one person."
 Are we, DI Page? Are we really?

H/T: CJ Nerd via email

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Mosley broke every rule of traveller culture, in which disputes are resolved by a fair fight between individuals"


Rather sounds like the DI wouldn't have disapproved too much if the killing had been with the bare hands.
Or is it just GBH he thinks is OK?

DavefromTacoma said...

During the worst of the gang-banger wars in the U.S. in the 1980's and 90's certain police forces used a shorthand when finding particular murder victims -- SOSNHI (scumbag on scumbag, no humans involved).

Anonymous said...

".....a fair fight...". Does that include the female bystanders with craft knife blades taped to the underside of their shoes so they can slash at the Achilles tendons of the fighter they are opposed to if he gets too close? These people wouldn't understand the meaning of 'fair' used in that context. Scum, all of 'rm.
Penseivat

Ted Treen said...

Sod the rules of traveller culture:- what about the rules of British law? The rest of us abide by them...

John M said...

Meh, it would serve more social justice to kettle the lot of them in and throw a few knifes into the crowd. Just a matter of waiting afer that.

"Traveller culture" - don't make me laugh. Traveller culture is hatred, ignorance, and paadophiia all wrapped up in a caravan

JuliaM said...

"Rather sounds like the DI wouldn't have disapproved too much if the killing had been with the bare hands. "

It does, doesn't it?

"...SOSNHI (scumbag on scumbag, no humans involved)"

I like it!

"These people wouldn't understand the meaning of 'fair' used in that context. Scum, all of 'rm."

Amen.

"Traveller culture is hatred, ignorance, and paadophiia all wrapped up in a caravan"

One that rarely goes anywhere, usually.