Sunday 16 December 2012

Oh, I'm Sure You Can Find A Solution...

Yes, we all saw the reports of the schoolgirls party trashed by freeloading scum whipped up on FaceBook, we all heard the excuses from the party organiser and her mother about how it all transpired, and we all thought 'Who'd be that stupid, not to realise the consequences?'.

But people are. And they've paid a high price for it.

The freeloaders? Well, they are likely to escape:
Mrs Hines has bigger things to worry about. With estimates of up to £30,000 to repair structural damage and replace her furniture, she is in despair about how to find the money.
‘Since Andrew has been gone, money has been tight and I have no idea what we will do,’ she says.
There is little chance of compensation either — although the police have suggested bringing criminal charges, it could be hard to work out who to bring them against.
But, since we are talking about the Essex Farce, there is one culprit that's already been identified, they know the address, they won't need to do any hard work.

Who?
Essex Police confirmed it was currently considering if it is in the public interest to prosecute for a breach of the peace and allowing underage drinking in her home.
An Essex Police spokeswoman said: “Police are working with the family and considering whether any offences have been committed and whether it is in the public interest to prosecute those responsible. Local officers are also in contact with residents of the street to establish a full picture of the events which took place.”
Yup! Prosecute the victim!

/golfclap

14 comments:

Curmudgeon said...

I wasn't aware that underage drinking was illegal provided no money changes hands.

Twenty_Rothmans said...

Police are working with
Christ, the record's stuck.

Do they send these spokesmen to a special school for this?
"I can speak Eeenglish. I learned it from a boook"

Essex Police confirmed that they had no more navel fluff to examine, and they were bored, so why not work on some trumped-up charges?

Inspector Ben Pensant stated "We are following various avenues of inquiry, sorry, enquiry to establish whether this person is, ipso facto, a witch, as it were. To that end, a priori, forensic teams are working to find prima faecal evidence of a black, small domesticated feline animal, although I should stress that the animal's coat is black but its skin is white, so there may be scope oh sorry, I didn't mean that mental charity - for a hate crime prosecution. Several brooms have been taken in evidence and these cuts mean that your wife is going to get mugged soon so don't blame us."


Furor Teutonicus said...

XX allowing underage drinking in her home. XX

Not an offence (From the age of 14 IIRC) when done in private.

Which, in this case, it was.

Or is she living in a bus stop?

Twenty_Rothmans said...

@Furor
Or is she living in a bus stop?
In Essex, these are known as procreation centres.

John Pickworth said...

Not an offence (From the age of 14 IIRC) when done in private.

Hardly, try 5...

Between the ages of 5 and 17, it is legally permissible for children to drink alcohol at home or at a friend's house with the permission of a parent or legal guardian.

Furor Teutonicus said...

John, You are, of course, correct!

The 14 I was thinking is "in a pub. Beer, cider, wine or perry, with a substantial meal." (Judges findings "Substantial meal, is that which is eaten with a knife aad fork.))

Again IIRC, there is not even mention of parental guidance....(?)

But I stand to be corrected.

Umbongo said...

Once again, the punishment's in the process. Even if Essex's finest - or would it be the CPS? - decide not to prosecute, the fact that she might be prosecuted makes Mrs Hines' life even more of a misery (as well as more expensive if she has to cough up for a defence lawyer).

Is there no end to this utter, utter madness?

Mr Grumpy said...

Stupid? Unworldly, perhaps, but really even if they'd written invitation cards and sent them out by snail mail it would only take one invitee to tweet the details... Terrifying.

Too much to hope that the Farce might think of a way of dealing with this kind of thing proactively, I suppose.

Noggin the Nog said...

It is not illegal to drink 'underage'. It is illegal to try to buy booze underage.

What world do we live in where I know the law better than plod?

Furor Teutonicus said...

Or to SUPPLY!

I think the point, and the details have been covered.

Mr Grumpy said...

'Between the ages of 5 and 17, it is legally permissible for children to drink alcohol at home or at a friend's house with the permission of a parent or legal guardian.'

Well, you could hardly call the unwanted guests friends. It's a fair cop, officer!

JuliaM said...

"I wasn't aware that underage drinking was illegal provided no money changes hands."

As FT, John and Noggin point out, it isn't. Expert legal brains they have in Essex Farce, eh?

"Once again, the punishment's in the process. "

Yup, spot on!

"...but really even if they'd written invitation cards and sent them out by snail mail it would only take one invitee to tweet the details.."

That's very true. But of course these days, we blame the method, not the perpetrators. It's more 'civilised', or something.

"Well, you could hardly call the unwanted guests friends. It's a fair cop, officer!"

Maybe that's exactly their angle?!

Furor Teutonicus said...

XX "Well, you could hardly call the unwanted guests friends. XX

Debatable.

They have/She has, however tenuosly, invited the "crowd".

It is up to the court to decide if they could, therefore, be called "friends".

Furor Teutonicus said...

Hej, Julia! I know it is a pain in the arse for you. but this moderation is GREAT!

Thanks! :-)