Predators Usually Have To Work A Lot Harder For Prey...

Lisa Wilding KC, defending Matturie, suggested what happened between them was, “consensual, willing and enthusiastic” sex, not rape.

Sure, sure. Is there any proof of th...

Oh, 

The woman denied this, claiming the incident left her feeling “shamed and disgusted”. Wilding continued: “When you and he had sex ... you and he filmed that sex. You know that you and he had a discussion beforehand, words to the effect: ‘Let’s make our own little movie’.”

The witness replied: “No. I wouldn’t do that.” Wilding said: “He had his phone right in front of you all the time you and he were having sex.”

The woman replied: “I was not aware of that.” Wilding said: “You looked directly at the camera more than once, enjoying what you were doing?” The woman, who became tearful, replied: “No.”

As I - and other - said over at Tim Worstall's post on this, how on earth did the CPS overlook this video? 

The defence barrister said the woman would be asked to look at some images. The hearing was then adjourned and when court resumed after lunch, Timothy Cray KC, prosecuting, told the court that the prosecution was not now seeking guilty verdicts on alleged sexual offences involving the 19-year-old complainant.

Whoops! 

Prosecutors have alleged Mendy is a “predator”.

Wow, with a hit rate better than that of the black footed cat! Of course, mice don't waltz into its jaws, do they? 

And it seems the CPS didn't pick any winners out of the rest of the bunch either.... 

Doing More For The Image Of The Police...

...than a million rainbow-painted patrol cars:

A Met Police officer has been praised for his approachable and professional behaviour after he was filmed posing for photos with members of the public who were queuing to see the Queen lying-in-state.

PC Kehinde Meshe, from Croydon, was captured on BBC cameras as he interacted with mourners queuing through central London yesterday, ahead of Westminster Hall being opened to the public.

The officer passed his hat to passersby so they could pose for a quintessentially 'British' photo and even joined them for a selfie.

That's true 'community relations', Sir Mark. Not reflexively cringing in the face of the usual suspects when one of your officers has done his job. 

Another Triumph For The World Of Social Work...

A teenager has been jailed for fatally stabbing a 16-year-old boy. Dylan Holliday was knifed 13 times in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, in August 2021.

Jamal Waddell, 17, was convicted of manslaughter...

Wait, what?!? 

...in August and was sentenced to 12 years in prison with four on licence at Coventry Crown Court on Wednesday.

Waddell, who can be named after the judge lifted an anonymity order, was also convicted of grievous bodily harm against Dylan's friend and of possession of a knife. He was handed 18 months for each offence, which will run concurrently to the manslaughter sentence.

Why the hell not consecutively? What's the point? This is as pointless as charging Couzens with indecent exposure when he's already doing bird for murder... 

Can it get any worse?

Reader, hold that thought:

The court heard the defendant, originally from Wellingborough and who turns 18 next month, had carried knives regularly from the age of 12.

It heard on the day of the attack, social workers had dropped him off in the town and were unaware he was armed.

*sighs* 

Waddell claimed Dylan was "swinging" an arm that was in a cast and that he struck out at the 16-year-old to "keep him away from me".

That might have worked for one knife wound. It's not going to fly with thirteen... 

Det Sup Joe Banfield, from Northamptonshire Police, said: "Sadly, this case once again demonstrates the danger of knives and Northamptonshire Police will continue to work relentlessly to remove these deadly weapons from our streets."

And the courts and social workers will work equally relentlessly to send them back to the streets. 

Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Partnership said Dylan's killing would be subject to a child safeguarding practice review.

Ah. A whitewash in which everyone involved is absolved of responsibility, you mean? 

H/T: IanJ via email

A Few Things Missing From This Story...

Watson, 37, was taken into custody following the incident and was caught in possession of a lock knife and drugs when he was searched by officers.

He went on to admit charges of possession of a knife blade and or sharp pointed article in a public place and possession of a controlled drug of class B.

But during sentencing this week, Watson was on the receiving end of high praise from Judge Shane Collery.

No, not another barmy judge - for once! The 'incident' referred to was something quite different to what you might think... 

Judge Collery said: “It’s an unusual case and in many ways the public should be thanking him for his actions that day.

“I think you deserve that thanks, you didn’t know the guns were fake and you thought there was a real risk to the public.

“It was a brave thing to do.

“You and another man were going past on bikes and saw this man with the firearms and stopped and challenged. At the time, police saw that there was a tussle as you were trying to get the arms off him.”

And were the police grateful for this help from the public, as they always claim? Reader, this is Essex Police, and they were not... 

The court was told Watson had been summoned to crown court because he had originally been charged with affray. However, the charge was dropped.

Presumably even the CPS realised their chances of getting a conviction were slim once the jury heard the full details, if the idiot plod low-hanging fruit pickers didn't!

Watson was handed an absolute discharge for the knife possession and a £20 fine for carrying the drugs. He was also ordered to pay a £34 victim surcharge.

We aren't told what the nutter carrying the two fake firearms in public got. I mean, even Essex Police aren't so useless they didn't charge him, surely? 

You Spelled 'Loonies' Wrong...

Teenage girls with ‘invisible illnesses’ are posting upsetting videos of themselves online which generate thousands of likes as part of a new community – called ‘Spoonies’.

Thousands of teens are banding together on social media as part of the movement, which also encourages them to lie to doctors in order to get the diagnosis that they want.

Hmmm, sounds familiar.

Experts say that while 'functional disease is a real and chronic problem' it is often not the one the teens 'think they have.' Dr. Katie Kompoliti, a neurologist at Rush University Medical Center, told Commonsense News: ‘It’s generated by anxiety in most cases, or another comorbidity, and then propagated by the ease of TikTok.’

This is the modern equivalent of 'I saw Goody Proctor with the Devil!' isn't it? Only instead of being confined to rural isolated bored young girls and spread by gossip, it now reaches all around the world in the blink of an eye...

Others claim that they are suffering from ‘medical gaslighting’, which includes being told by your doctor to lose weight to help your condition. Some of them also make money off of their platforms, of which some have hundreds of thousands of followers, by using it to promote offers for glasses or supplements.

The confluence of publicity and money - no wonder it's spreading!

Dr. Mark Sullivan, a psychiatrist at the University of Washington Medical Center, is concerned that the internet has created ‘communities of grievance’ that led patients to adopt ‘victim mentalities.’

For once, a medical professional is right on the money. The question is, what can be done about it? I'm not one of those to demand curbs on technology (as if that could really be achieved) but it does seem to be a major vector for this disease...

I'm Betting The Crowd Already Knew, Liz...

...so not sure the complaint of 'outing' has any legs:

Elizabeth Wright, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said McConnell's comments had 'crossed the line'.

She added: 'People have the right to hold opinions and express their views.

'But when words cross the line between a legitimate expression of religious views, and become distressing and threatening, the CPS will prosecute offenders if our legal test is met.

'In this case, by repeatedly referring to the female victim as "this gentleman" and "a man in woman’s clothing", using a microphone in a public place, McConnell’s comments crossed the line between a legitimate expression of his religious views, to become a distressing and threatening personal attack.'

Meanwhile, in Leeds:  

Members of the public and local businesses in Leeds raised concerns of hate speech from people who try to convert others to religion in the city centre.

It led to the Labour-run local council teaming up with West Yorkshire Police to issue a new code of conduct and tell preachers they are committed to respecting the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) Article 10 rights to freedom of expression of all, but 'recognise that this is a qualified right and may be limited to prevent disorder or crime.'

And it seems the definition of 'disorder and crime' is now expanded to include being told something you don't want to hear. 

And let's be clear here - this is a legitimate freedom of speech question, and not in any way equitable to the people approached by police, usually for their own safety, shouting anti-monarchist rhetoric in the middle of a crowd of mourners lining the late Queen's funeral cortege. 

I see no contradiction between the two, and at any other time, don't believe the police should move in on them, either.

Meet The New Boss...

...every bit as craven in the face of professional agitators as the old boss: 

On Monday evening Met Police Assistant Commissioner Amanda Pearson said: 'This decision has been reached following careful consideration of a number of factors, including the significant impact on public confidence, and in light of the Independent Office for Police Conduct announcing a homicide investigation.

'Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Mr Kaba's family and friends.

'We understand how concerned communities are, particularly black communities, and thank those who are working closely with our local officers.'

This is presumably with the full backing of Dick's replacement, Sir Mark Rowley. So I guess once again, we have a total dick at the helm.

Well, I Dunno, Dr Helen...

...maybe put some of that two years of practice in shutting down and not seeing patients to use? 

And if the NHS wants to run itself as a business, shouldn't it have a business continuity plan for unforeseen events?

Yes, Andrew's Really Doing That....

...and he's doing it splendidly!

'Are you really denying what I just said about British colonialism?' an exasperated Velshi asked his guest. 'Andrew, are you really doing that?'

You bet he is! 

As Roberts continues to say the UK abolished slavery more than 30 years before the United States did, Velshi seems to become more upset telling him: 'Andrew this is not a propaganda show,' and 'Andrew I need you to stop!

'I need you to stop for a second,' he interrupts his guest. 'Are you really taking issue with the horrors of colonialism?' he asks, to which Roberts replies: 'I'm taking issue with your remarks about slavery, which we abolished 32 years before you did. 'We didn't have to kill 600,000 people in a civil war over it,' he added.

Boom!  

But Velshi was not giving up.

Bitter, and ignorant, and not aware when he's been totally bested. Boy, can MSNBC pick 'em! 

'So you think that that's fine, that there are people all over the world who are born in colonial countries?' he asked. 'Because when I was born, the British Empire still existed. 'And that's OK for everybody to say.'

Roberts, though, asked Velshi which country he was born in, and when Velshi said he was born in Kenya, Roberts noted that 'the Kenyans not only supported the appointment of Prince Charles, now King Charles, as the head of the Commonwealth, we've [also] just had a fantastic statement from the president of Kenya saying what a wonderful thing —' Velshi then interrupted to note that President Biden is also going to the Queen's funeral, to which Roberts asked: 'Then why on Earth do you want to concentrate on the only negative things of an institution, which is 100 years ago now?'

TKO! That's what it is to get schooled on national tv!

He went on to interview chip-on-the-shoulder 'academics' like Kehinde Andrews, who told him what he wanted to hear. Bet he wished he'd only had him on...

'Paying Your Respects' - Yr Doin' It Wrong...

Kye Dennis, 25, of Fforestfach, was found not guilty following a trial at Swansea Crown Court. He was one of three men who bought an old black Vauxhall Astra for £250, hours before it was used in a riot in the Mayhill area of the city on May 20 last year. The Astra and a silver Ford Ka were set alight and rolled down Waun Wen Road during the disorder, which was sparked by the sudden death of 19-year-old Ethan Powell.

Yes, it's this incident.  

Dennis denied wrongdoing and said he was only there to “pay his respects” to Mr Powell during a vigil that later turned violent.

The defendant, who ran a recovery and scrap business, collected the car in Carmarthen and took it to Swansea but had no idea what was going to happen to it.

Right, yeah, sure... 

Before the verdict was returned, Judge Paul Thomas QC warned those sat in the public gallery that the jury’s decision “must be met with silence”.

But one member of the public was ordered to the cells over the lunch adjournment after ignoring the warning.

Was he a resident angry at the verdict? Reader, he was not... 

He was later brought back to court and, addressing the judge, said: “I am sorry for what happened just now. I didn’t mean for it to come out. It just came out by accident.

“One of my good friends was in the dock and his children are at home and stuff and we got a good result.”

Society didn't, but what would someone like you understand about that? 

The judge said he accepted his apology and would not take the matter further. “I would suggest that if you are in this position again, you may not find a judge who is as lenient as I am with the matter,” he said.

Oh, I'm betting if he played the odds, he'd hit the jackpot again...