Saturday 5 July 2014

You Know That Old Joke About Killing Your Parents & Pleading For Clemency Because You’re An Orphan..?

Well, turns out it really works, thanks to the sort of bewigged cretins we have on the benches these days:
A man whose pregnant partner was killed by their two pitbull-type dogs has been given a community order and told to do 280 hours of unpaid work.
Deputy district judge Tim Spruce told Horner the case "crossed the custody threshold" but said he felt it was not appropriate to jail him given the personal loss he had suffered with the death of his partner.
I guess there must have been other extenuating circumstances?
Prosecutor Vincent O'Malley told the court that two social workers had visited the house in July last year and Horner told one of them: "Shut it or I'll set the dog on you."
He said that Horner told the other social worker, who was eight months pregnant at the time: "What you looking at? Wait until I get the dog and see if you continue looking at me like that."
Oh, yes. This is a man who deserves clemency, all right. No wonder the judge was so lenient…
Sentencing, Spruce said the legislation was designed to protect the public from certain breeds, because "these animals are inclined to be unpredictable in nature and often with devastating consequences".
The district judge said: "That unpredictability, those consequences, could not be more solemnly illustrated than in the unique and tragic circumstances of the case before the court today. Two dogs with no previous recorded history of difficulty, danger or harm have set up their owner in circumstances which may never be entirely clear."
Exactly how have two brainless mutts ‘set up’ their owner?
He said he was satisfied the defendant did not know the dogs were banned but also that he made no effort to find out.
He said Horner was ambivalent to the possibility of the risk they posed.
Well, actually, I don’t think he was ambivalent – it seems he relished the risk they posed. At least to other people.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

So if I set my dog on my wife I get a get out of jail free card?

Furor Teutonicus said...

XX "Shut it or I'll set the dog on you."

"What you looking at? Wait until I get the dog and see if you continue looking at me like that." XX

There are about five offences there,that in Germany would get you up to 10 years inside!

And what is with §47 Assault, in the U.K today? Threatening behaviour?

syl2000 said...

"Exactly how have two brainless mutts ‘set up’ their owner?"

Typical modern newspaper lack of proof-reading, I think... Probably should have been 'set upon'.

I was more surprised by "if you continue looking at me like that" presented as a direct quote... Does a character like him really use 'continue' in his normal speech? (I'm reputed to be a bit of a word-merchant, and I'd normally use 'go on' or 'carry on'.)

JuliaM said...

"So if I set my dog on my wife I get a get out of jail free card?"

:D

"There are about five offences there,that in Germany would get you up to 10 years inside!"

And no automatic halving of that?

"Typical modern newspaper lack of proof-reading, I think... "

That does make more sense...

Furor Teutonicus said...

XX "There are about five offences there,that in Germany would get you up to 10 years inside!"

And no automatic halving of that? XX

Not automatic, no. But with ten, you would have problems convincing them to reduce it (parole board, and all that). The chances are you would end up serving 4 to 6.

BUT(!) Then we have something here which means if, at the end of sentence, you are still considered "a threat to society" you can end up in there up to life, IF you do not improve.

Release depends on a psychiactric report. If the brain plumber ("Gehirnklempner" in German)does not think you are "safe" you will not get out. A closed Nut ward is the worsed case, an open the best, in such cases.

But then, this only applies to those who were obvious nut jobs before they went in. It would not apply to shop theft, or such.

Setting a dog on your Wife/Husband would count as serious nut job, "Off to Bonnys ranch!" (Berlinerisch. "Bonnys ranch" is the Karl Bonhoeffer Nervenklinik, and, in Berlin, is as well understood as "Off to Bedlam" or so such, in the U.K)

The only link is in German or Polish.... which sais a lot about out "super Polish immigrants" really; http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl-Bonhoeffer-Nervenklinik