"a childish escapade that got out of hand very quickly"

A 16-year-old girl and 15-year-old boy were cleared of murdering Alexander Cashford, 49, but convicted of the secondary charge of manslaughter at Woolwich crown court. The attack took place in Leysdown-on-Sea on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent on 10 August last year after Cashford had given his phone number to the girl two days earlier. A 16-year-old boy who was also involved in the attack previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

The three defendants cannot be legally named because of their ages.

 Old enough to plan to ambush a man and set about him, leading to his death, yet still 'vulnerable children' im the eyes of our ludicrous legal system...

The court heard that the three teenagers exchanged messages with Cashford using the alias Sienna after he had met the 16-year-old girl at an amusement arcade and given her a business card with a fake name.The teenagers arranged to meet him at the seafront in Leysdown-on-Sea at about 7pm, the court was told, before following him as he walked along the promenade with the girl.

Copying, it would appear, the internet notoriety of the so-called 'paedophile hunters', who have set themselves up to catch the Third World predators our police farces don't seem interested in stopping. 

During his evidence, the older boy was asked if, in the immediate aftermath – before they were arrested or discovered Cashford had died – he had thought he had “done the right thing” by attacking him. The boy replied: “Yeah, kind of, yeah.” When asked why, he said: “Because I feel like the police wouldn’t have done anything.”

A chilling indictment of modern youth, and also, may I suggest, how the forces of authority have failed us all? 

The three teenagers are expected to be sentenced in April.

And no-one will face any censure for the failures of society that put them in the dock, and Mr Cashford in a grave.  

So You Think It's Easy To Defend Against Online Harms?

Sir Keir Starmer will today say he is stepping up Government action to protect children online amid growing pressure for him to ban under-16s from social media. The Prime Minister will vow that no social media or internet platform will get a 'free pass' when it comes to children's safety.

Even though the Pakistani rape gangs all did?  

Ministers will also look at ways to prevent children using VPNs - which can bypass age verification systems - to access pornography. And they will consider measures to preserve phone data in tragic cases where online activity is suspected of being involved in a child's death.

They haven’t a clue, have they? If an adult gives a child in their house permission to use a VPN, what can the government do about it? Why do they even consider it their business? Especially considering they mandate VPNs for the public sector when WFH...

The PM said last night: 'As a dad of two teenagers, I know the challenges and the worries that parents face making sure their kids are safe online. 

'Technology is moving really fast, and the law has got to keep up. With my government, Britain will be a leader not a follower when it comes to online safety.

Which is why you immediately jumped on Australia's social media ban for under 16's without even waiting a few months to see how (or if) it worked?  

'We are acting to protect children's wellbeing and help parents to navigate the minefield of social media.'

IF you genuinely cared about children’s welfare, would you have locked them up for a year under Covid and imported infinity Third World migrants to compete with them for scant (and ever dwindling) social resources?  

What’s More Niche Than Niche?

The manosphere is back (Ed: Did it ever go away, then?), and we’ve lost mainstream feminist websites such as Teen Vogue; bigots everywhere are celebrating what they see as the death of “woke”. Put it all together and we have a dismal stew of doom for someone like me, a queer woman and a feminist who’s been a games journalist and critic since 2007.

Perhaps because your immediate focus is on what you are, as opposed to what you do...?  

In the mid-2010s, I worked for a small “geek girl” feminist website called the Mary Sue, and it was a unique pleasure to write very specific articles for a very specific audience. The Mary Sue relied on advertising income, which meant that all of us had to write up to six articles every weekday; there wasn’t time to spend on investigative reporting, for example, or long-form critical essays. I’m still proud of what we achieved, despite the intensity of those working conditions, not to mention the amount of harassment we faced just for existing.

'Harassment' no doubt limited to people's refusal to read said website? 

Later, I left the Mary Sue and went on to work for Kotaku and then Polygon, both huge games websites where I was writing for broader audiences, rather than the hyper-specific one we catered to at the Mary Sue.

Both huge games websites thst were once readable, but are now shadows of their former selves, conquered as they have been by the identity politics crowd,  

But then, in the summer of 2025, my then-employer Polygon underwent a mass layoff and acquisition. We went from a staff of 42 people to just eight. After a particularly disheartening video call with our website’s new owners, I realised I was going to have to quit.

The only surprise was she disn't leap into a cozy spot at Reactormag. Another publication that seems to hire mostly people unable to sublimate their political leanings and personal sexual hang-ups long enough to do their job.

Another one of my colleagues at Polygon – Zoe Hannah, games editor – quit as well, for similar reasons. She hit me up with an idea she had for a feminist games website. “You should do it,” I told her. And then I sat there for a moment and thought about it. No, we should do it!

I believe our website is a necessity in our current political climate. It should have existed before, when I and millions of other girls who grew up playing games were made to feel out of place by media and advertising that was laser-focused on teenage boys. But it’s not too late for me to make sure it exists now.

Well, I wish you luck. You're gonna need it!  

Well, THIS Will Need A Very Specialised Team...

                                             

Who could possibly take this one on? 

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the wee donkey"

Most Of Us Don't Fall For This, Emma

When did food become medicine? There’s all the pseudoscientific supplementary stuff, but even normal food has started to feel functional, mere units of nutrition. A tally runs in my head of things I “need” to eat: am I getting enough oats, beans, leafy greens? What about nuts?

The edible sort, or your equally neurotic fellow columnists at the 'Guardian', Emma? 

I’m not sure I remember what I actually enjoy eating any more. I’m certain no one on earth enjoys eating flaxseeds – they have all the personality of polystyrene packaging chips – but I choke them down daily, for my cholesterol and gut health.

Then more fool you!  

A twentysomething man I know told me he knows the protein content of every food, which conjures the spectre of the generations of women unable to erase calorie counts from their brains. We’re making food a source of anxiety, not enjoyment.

I refuse to belive any  normal red-blooded chap would, but then I realise the sort of circles Emma likely runs in... 

It’s a luxury problem...for those with means, dietary neurosis is whipped up and egged on by companies and influencers, convincing us we need “immunity shots”, “brain food” packs and protein bars.

Indeed it is, most of us look askance at this sort of ultra-processed crap and wouldn't eat it if we could afford to.

Could we stop seeing eating as another way to self-optimise and remember it’s a daily joy? With Lent coming up, I’ve decided to observe what I’m calling “anti-Lent”. I’ll be giving up consuming anxiety-inducing nutritional content and instead eating food I love every day. It definitely won’t include sea moss.

Congratulations on joining the majority of people at last!  

Remember When Newspapers Felt A Duty To Inform Their Readership?

A 51-year-old Suffolk woman's appeal against an 18 month ban for drink driving has been upheld at Ipswich Crown Court.

Oh?  They are usually pretty open and shut - what grounds was her appeal made on?

Nicola Charalambous, of Folly Road, Mildenhall had been found guilty of drink driving and driving without due care and attention at Suffolk Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, October 8.However, at an appeal hearing on Friday (February 6), prosecutors withdrew their evidence against her meaning she has been cleared of the charges and her driving ban has been overturned.

 Hmm, suspicious, or what? Shame there's no...oh, what did they used to call them...*snaps fingers...* reporters, that was it! to tell us. 

In addition to being disqualified from driving for 18 months, Charalambous was also fined £180 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £144, plus £650 in costs.

Does she get those refunded? We shall never know, if we rely on local newspapers...

H/T : Dave Ward via email

It's Not Just The Muslims!

Campaigners are calling on theatre bosses to stop serving bacon, sausages and ham in their cafes...

Whut?  The usual suspects? No, Reader, and yes.

...at least while Peppa Pig and her family are performing in the same building.

Oh, for god's sake! What happened to people who once did this in response to stupid demands from lunatics? 

 This is how you should have dealt with PETA! 

Grimsby Auditorium in Lincolnshire said this week it would remove pork from the menu when Peppa Pig’s Big Family Show opens next month, after a request from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta UK). The campaign group is sending the venue vegan ham as an alternative. Jennifer White, an associate director at Peta, welcomed the decision, saying she hoped it would remind people “that all pigs are individuals with personalities and not body parts to be chopped up”.

They are both, actually. 

The auditorium told Peta it would remove pork products from the Stage Door cafe menu as a “considerate gesture” during the show’s run on 3-4 March.

Why? Why not tell these charlatans - who kill more animals than anyone - to sit and spin if they don't like it?  

In November, Peta said it had persuaded Chichester Festival theatre to drop pork products from its menus during a run of The Three Little Pigs.

Ah. Because yet more spineless arty types encouraged them... 

So Many Long Names..

Police have charged four people with the murder of a 17-year-old boy in a village in south Wales. Officers were called to Lower Francis Street in Abertridwr, Caerphilly, at about 17:45 GMT on Thursday after reports a teenage boy from the village had sustained a serious injury. He was declared dead at the scene and later named as Tristan Shae Kerr.

What a good old fashioned small Welsh village name, eh, Reader? As for the 'serious injury' it was caused by a zombie knife.

Three men, aged 18, 24 and 26, and one woman, 24, are being held in custody and will appear at Newport Magistrates' Court on Monday, Gwent Police said.

Are any of those called Jones or Evans, I wonder?  (Ed: no,Ricardo Elliot, 26, Connor Palfrey, 24, Elexi Manny, 24, and 18-year-old Georgie Mears). And neither are the authorities:

"We understand that there has been a great deal of interest in this investigation," senior investigating officer Det Ch Insp Jitka Tomkova-Griffiths said. "However we would ask people not to speculate about the identities of those involved," she continued.

It seems Wales is in danger of a severe hyphen shortage.  

It seems feelings are running high, judging by this rather cryptic comment. 

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke (Ed: !!) told the court that it was "vital" for court proceedings not to be interrupted. "I am well aware that feelings ran high when this case went before magistrates' court [on Monday]," she said.

Another one to watch.  

I Love Modern Twists On Old Fairy Tales...

...and so, it seems, does Matt! 

I Beg Your Pardon?

                                 

The term is 'hangdog'....