Post Title Of The Month

Dioclese reacts to Ed Miliband's film casting preferences...

Quote Of The Month

LegIron takes on the idiocracy:

"Today I read about the terrible, terrible supermarkets taking advantage of the innumerate idiots churned out by modern education. No wonder they used to do that ‘computers for schools’ thing in supermarkets. If they gave the kids books instead of computers they might learn something useful instead of the most appropriate position for a blow job or how to change the dashboard in a Lamborghini.

There were times in the past when I bought two half-bottles of whisky instead of a whole one. It’s not exactly calculus to work out that if a half costs £9 and a whole costs £20, then two halves for £18 is a better deal. If in doubt, they put the price per litre in little writing at the bottom of the label. Pick the option with the lowest unit price. This is not difficult, people."

Post Of The Month

US politics and the pernicious effect of the Gender War from the incomparable David Thompson...

Could He Even Find The Word ‘Straight’ In A Dictionary..?…

"This meeting will set the record straight about the removal of Lutfur Rahman as Mayor of Tower Hamlets," a Facebook event set up ahead of Thursday's event says.

Heh! Good luck with that one.

The meeting, to be held at the Water Lily in Whitechapel, will also "set out what needs to be done to defend democracy in Tower Hamlets, to challenge racism in the borough and beyond, and to ensure that anti-racist, anti-war and anti-austerity politics find their rightful place in the council".

Oh, I think the first one’s been covered pretty well by the courts, don’t you?

Actually, they’ve done the second as well.

The third’s up to the new mayor. And that’s up to the voters….

Eight Years And Still Standing...

...albeit with a nasty case of uveitis (not conjunctivitis as first thought) in my left eye to try to fight off, hence the reduced posting rate and lack of replies.

I hope to get back on track (with replies at least) over the Bank Holiday. As for posting rate, well, maybe less is more, and while my blog might be eight, I'm a bit older. Maybe this is nature's way of telling me to slow down?

Why Would A 65 Year Old Man In Poor Health Want Dogs Like These?

The owner of the dogs has also appeared before magistrates who heard that this is not the first incident involving his dogs. Gordon says Claudia’s bravery probably saved his dog’s life.

“I was in danger of losing Ghillie if somebody hadn’t stepped in.

“It was so brave of Claudia to come to our aid, it must have been terrifying for her,” he said.

“When the police arrived, a lady from their dog unit told me that Ghillie had to be taken to an emergency vets straight away or else I could lose him. ”

He was lucky, very lucky, that his neighbour intervened. I like to think the reporting is inaccurate, and the police helped him get his dog to the vets, rather than simply dispense advice, but maybe I’m just naïve…

The owner of the rottweilers, 65-year-old Sidney Cox, appeared at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court last week and pleaded guilty to being in charge of a dangerous and out-of-control dog.

Defence solicitor Mr Towers said: “The defendant has already purchased a proper chained fence to secure the dogs in light of this incident. “He is also the sole carer for his wife, who suffers from medical issues, as does he.”

Cox was granted unconditional bail until April 30, when a police report on the two dogs will be heard in court.

One to watch.

And It Could Also Have Been Prevented…

The murder bore chilling echoes of Byfield’s previous conviction, which involved him breaking in to another former girlfriend’s home and attacked her with a chisel. He was jailed for 30 months for that earlier offence and in 2007 an order was made to deport him from Britain.

Judge Cooke expressed his “unhappiness” at the authorities’ failure to carry out that deportation and said the murder could have been prevented if he had been sent back to Jamaica then.

…if Ms Duffy had been a little more discerning in her choice of sexual partner.

Couldn’t it?

Well, Both Could Be True, I Suppose....

...after all, so many claim 'mental issues' as an excuse!

H/T: Bucko The Moose via email

Sunday Funnies...

Well, it seems Mum was right!

Think You’re Not Guilty? Think Again…

…on Friday, the case against Mr Phillips - brought by the police - was dismissed, although a three-year restraining order was imposed on the 67-year-old nonetheless - a legal decision taken under the Protection from Harassment Act.

Yup, that’s right. The police couldn’t prove their case in court, but in England in 2015, don’t think that means you’re free to go!

The State will have its pound of flesh.

Maybe Renaming The ‘Education Village’ Would Help..?

Jack Hunter, from Darlington, fell to his death through the asbestos roof at Darlington Auction Mart in August 1992.

His mother, Christine, said the death of Kyle Hull on Sunday, following his fall last Tuesday, brought back memories of her own bereavement. Mrs Hunter said: "I really feel for the family. I thought something was going to be done after what happened to Jack.

"You can't stop kids being kids, but I did think the market was going to be moved – it was supposedly on the cards when Jack died and it is still being talked about."

And if it was moved, wouldn’t they simply go mess around somewhere else?

Tributes have continued to pour in for 15-year-old Kyle, who was a student at the Education Village.

It clearly wasn’t teaching him much. Of course, the ‘something must be DONE!’ people are mounting their hobby-horses:

Peter Freitag, who is president of the Liberal Democrats in Darlington, also criticised officers at the borough council who he said had attempted to force councillors into a corner having opposed a new cattle mart development on the edge of the town.

“Unfortunately if you put temptations in people’s path they will often take them.

“Other tragedies could happen as well if nothing is done.” He added: “When I moved here in 1965 the cattle mart was an important part of the business of the town, but it isn’t anymore.

“At the moment it is just a bloody nuisance and dangerous.”

It must be nice to be so secure in your political position that you can freely label a business providing much-needed employment ‘a bloody nuisance’, mustn’t it?

HMMONA*

A gay couple have told of their constant struggle with homophobia in Haringey.

Teacher Siobhan Wesley and her partner, charity worker Patricia Macleod, say they are subjected to threatening sexual and homophobic abuse in public on an almost daily basis.

By…whom?

Ms Wesley, 29, said: “All the time this happens, we’re just walking along the street and we get people yelling sexual insults at us, men shouting what they’d like us to do to them and people just screaming ‘lezzers’ at us.”

Old met, short men, fat men, white men? Predominantly one type, or a varied selection?

Surely it’d help to know?

Ms Wesley said : “There’s a really nice community feel in Green Lanes, it’s one of the things we love most about Haringey.

“We feel that more could be done to educate both schoolchildren and adults about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and communities.

“For adults particularly, making them aware that queer people exist in this area, that it’s completely normal and that the comments they make are offensive and against the law is vital.

“We’re grateful for the existing support structures in place but if these things are still happening, this regularly, then more needs to be done.”

Oh, of course. Education, education, education, eh ladies? Sheep-dip the entire population of Haringey…

*Homophobic Mostly Men Of No Appearance

Oh, Sgt 498, What A Pity No One Flashed You To Warn You About That Tweet…

It would have saved you looking like someone who is happy to catch and fine speeding motorists, but not happy to see them slow down.

Which I’d have thought would have been the opposite of good policing, which declares itself all about prevention…

Positive Role Models...

Mr Sharratt said McKoy is committed to his family and had been a carer for his mother and grandfather while growing up. His partner gave birth to their son four days after the attack.

"He knows he is going to miss out on the formative years of his son's young life, " said Mr Sharratt, "but is it possible that he could have a sentence that allows him to play a part in his upbringing but that reflects the seriousness of this offence?"

Oh, yes. The usual excuses. Well, maybe he has done wrong, but who’s to say that he can’t be a good influence on his chi…

Oh.

Sentencing him at Croydon Crown Court today, Judge Warwick McKinnon said he had "no alternative" but life imprisonment. The decision sparked ugly scenes as Zarak's furious father Cavell McKoy confronted the judge, shouting that the outcome had been "set from the beginning" as security staff dragged him from the room.

His son then stood up in the dock and shouted toward the judge "suck your mum, rudeboy" before leaving the court.

Well. So much for that.

There’s No ‘Racist Science’ Or ‘Non-Racist Science’…

…there’s just science:

It angered me that there was a new wave of racist science getting undue and often largely uncritical publicity. I began to explore the arguments and saw that they were based on bad science (or a poor understanding of science). This needed to be exposed.

That’s from the lavish publicity blurb for Gavin Evans’ new book, ‘Black Brain White Brain: Is Intelligence Skin Deep?’ masquerading as a news article in the ‘Haringey Independent’.

I hope to puncture the latest bubble of racist science, and, in the longer terms, I would like the book to be a reference to be used against future race science claims.

Really? And how are you planning on achieving this?

I started with reading the work of race science proponents – people like Satoshi Kanazawa, Richard Lynn, Charles Murray, Nicholas Wade and many others – and then went back to the basics and did extensive secondary research into four areas: archaeology, evolutionary theory, genetics and IQ theory, reading scores of academic papers and books while picking the brains of friends and academic colleagues who were experts in these areas – evolutionary biology, genetics, neurology and psychiatry.

Ah. Right. OK. Rigorous scientific methods, there…

Cottaging - Yr Doin' It Wrong!

Very, very wrong....

Sunday Funnies...

At least we still have the photographs...

Just LOOK IN HER SHOES, You Meanies!

God, I love the comments section of local newspapers! The outpouring is over this:

A 25-year-old mum-of-six is pleading with Thurrock Council to move her and her children so she doesn’t have to battle three flights of stairs.

Brace yourself for the amazing crop of chavnames allocated to her litter:

Single mother Belinda Chatterton, of Defoe Parade, Chadwell St Mary, has six children aged three or under – twins Lenny and Levi Chatterton, aged nine months, twin girls Milly and Lilly Bulmer, aged one, Romany Bulmer, two, and Demi Bulmer, three.

There really are no words, are there?

No, I Don't Know Where The UK Police Get Their Reputation For Being Politically Correct Cowards From, Either...

Detective Superintendent Paul Furnell, head of public protection, said: “The way we have gone about this campaign has caused some concern. This was not the intention of our message and for that I apologise.

“We have listened to our partners and we have reached the decision to foreshorten this particular part of the campaign.

“The posters were not intended in any way to blame victims. I understand the concerns that have been raised about the poster and they will be withdrawn. I would like to stress that the posters were well intentioned with the sole aim of preventing people becoming victims of crime.”

Well, it's about time the police realised their error and apologised for these campaigns to shame motorists into believing it's their fault for leaving things in their cars that no-good scrotes then ste...

Wait. What?

OK. Never mind....

It’s About Time!

A woman accused of bringing Bristol city centre to a halt by staging a protest on top of The Galleries Shopping Centre is to face trial.

Oh..?

Chaos ensued when a woman climbed onto a roof of The Galleries at around 12.30pm, with banners reading "corruption stinks," "being a victim of police corruption" and "with evidence to prove this I stand here on behalf of all victims of corruption".

The protest resulted in a large number of police officers attending the scene, including a negotiator, as well as the fire and ambulance service. There were also road and shop closures. After more than two hours, officers wearing safety gear were finally able to reach the woman from a higher point of The Galleries roof using a ladder and her protest was brought to an end after around ten minutes of negotiations.

A full strength firehose might have done the job quicker...

Earlier at Bristol Magistrates' Court Dadgar-Negad told District Judge Simon Cooper that she was "standing up for victims of corruption". Dadgar-Negad then said she wanted her case heard at Bristol Crown Court, a request District Judge Cooper initially denied, calling her "foolish" and a "waster of time".

But clearly then allowed her to continue to waste the court's time. I wonder why?

Miss Susan Bryant, defending, told Judge Michael Roach: "She said it was a protest. She explained this to officers on numerous occasions."

The judge adjourned the case for a plea and case management hearing on July 6. He set a trial estimated to last up to two days to start from 10am on August 12.

One to watch...

Vive La Revolution, Comrade! I’ll Be Over Here In The Wine Bar…

Stone was among a group of single mothers who were forced to get political when threatened with eviction from their hostel.

It’s quite simple, if you are dependent on the state for your housing, you are going to live where the state puts you. Which is often where it’s cheapest.

Want to live where you prefer? Then get a job & earn your own way.

The sob-story about a woman ‘cruelly evicted’ turned out to be about as truthful too (though Aditya Chakrabortty was fooled, but then…) :

Newham council said it “took back an illegally occupied” council property.

“The former tenant was lawfully evicted on 25 March due to high and historic rent arrears,” a council spokeswoman said.

“The council made many attempts to help with her rent arrears since she first started having problems but she has not fully engaged with these offers of assistance. Officers are now working closely with the tenant to resolve her current financial and housing situation and has provided her with temporary accommodation until a permanent solution can be found.”

Put her in with the Stones of this world. Sounds like they all deserve each other.

And there’s something frankly obscene about the rabble-rousing CiF crowd cheering on the squatters while living lives every bit as ‘disconnected’ from ‘the poor’ as they claim the Tories’ lives are, isn’t there?

An idiot speaks...

It’s Not Unreasonable In The Circumstances, Is It?

Sarah Crossley, 35, phoned Dorothy Barley Junior School’s safeguarding team after her daughter, who is in year four, was supervised by a man when getting changed for PE.

“I found out two members of staff must always be present when children are changing,” said Sarah, of Ilchester Road, Dagenham.

A rule the school hadn't complimented until someone noticed and complained....

More than 33 parents signed a petition set up by fellow parent Carol Jerzyk calling for children to get changed in front of staff of the same sex.

A few days later, on March 23, the academy changed their policy so at least two members of staff are always present when children get changed.

But they can still be male teachers.

But Carol, 40, also of Ilchester Road, says she’s still not happy with the outcome. “They’re at the stage when they shouldn’t be getting changed in front of male teachers at all,” she added. “My daughter is eight and doesn’t even get changed in front of her dad – so I don’t want her getting changed in front of a male total stranger.

“They might have more than one member of staff but my daughter is still getting changed in front of men and other boys.”

And I don't know about you, but that seems wrong to me. You'd expect it to seem wrong to more than 32 other parents, as well.

The comments are....well...

Sam

I think this is a bit ridiculous. I'm a primary school teacher and not once have I had concerns about the conduct of the male professionals I have worked with. It's standard practice across the primary school sector. It is sad to see such scaremongering in relation to primary teachers. The implication is too horrible to think of and seems completely unreasonable in the circumstances. Try another school - you'll find the same practice. Learn to trust teachers and support the job they do for your children.

Yes, trust the authorities know what they are doing! That doesn't seem unreasonable, does it?

tinman

A total non-story. This is standard practice everywhere. There has never been a single instance of a single parent at a single school in the entire country where this has been an issue. The fact is this these 2 women are card carrying members of the BNP and started this campaign when a new black PE teacher started at the school earlier this year. They are infamous in the area for their bullying of minorities and even a small amount of investigative journalism by this paper would have discovered this. Well done Barking & Dagenham Post you have given 2 bigots exposure in their bid to force a hard working teacher out of their job due to the colour of their skin.

Yes, sacrifice your children or we'll label you BNP supporters!

People In Glass Houses…

About seven teaching assistants are expected to be made redundant from Barking Abbey school but Unison branch secretary, Dave Clarke, has insisted savings should be found elsewhere to help pay for the secondary school’s £400,000 deficit.

And does he have a suggestion?

“When you take the special educational needs teachers out what happens is those children are going to feel the difference,” he told the Post.

“The school is making £400,000 savings but the headteacher doesn’t consider making a cut to his own salary.

“I understand about three or four senior staff have had a pay rise too.

“The headteacher should be offering a pay cut and leading by example."

Translation: "The head teacher isn't in MY union. Nor his senior staff."

I Expect They Can Be...

...and warthogs can be pretty aggressive too, but you're unlikely to see any of those in Gloucester.

Sunday Funnies...

Nostalgia - it ain't all it's cracked up to be....

How's That 'No Consequences' Justice Working Out, Progressives?

Lancashire:

An alcohol-fuelled 14-year-old boy "allowed to run wild" killed a father-of-two in an unprovoked street attack after wishing him "Happy New Year", a court has heard.

Kyle Major followed his victim who had just asked his group of friends for directions and felled him from behind with a punch to the back of the head.

London:

A mother wept in court as one of the youngest children to plead guilty to murder was locked up at the Old Bailey for a minimum of 11 years.

The 13-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to stabbing 53-year-old Christopher Barry twice in the chest outside his home in Edmonton, north London, on December 14 last year.

The parallels are unnerving.

The court heard that Major, of Devonshire Road, had consumed six bottles of Budweiser lager and a quarter of a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey on the night. He regularly drank to excess and was also an habitual user of cannabis.

The teenager already had seven previous convictions for non-violent offences such as burglary and theft. He had been under the supervision of a youth offending team since December 2013 following various court orders but his response was said to have been "poor" and he was described in reports as acting in "a reckless and carefree manner" with no regard to the consequences to himself or others.

Probably because for him there really were no consequences. Just as there were none for the London feral:

The court heard the boy had been a member of a Wood Green gang since he was just 10 and had been excluded from a school after receiving a police warning for carrying a knife on its premises.

Both men were ordinary decent members of the public. Because these ferals so vary rarely kill the likes of Frances Crook or Camila Batmanghelidjh,

Eloi who see to it that they never have to face the Morlocks they excuse and sympathise and weep over.

Try This If You Ever Manage To Get A Job…

…I think you’ll find your boss won’t be as easy to convince:

A teenage rebellion in Runcorn achieved a partial victory today as The Grange agreed to a temporary reprieve over its ban on wearing charity badges on their blazers.

A school spokeswoman confirmed on Tuesday that pupils would be allowed to don their ribbons and Marie Curie daffodils until a permanent resolution comes about.

In a letter sent out to parents today, head of school Barry Carney said he was 'suspending the rule' because of the amount of 'disruption' to learning.

Well, good for you, kids! Bathe in the glory of your victory over being told what to wear. Just don't think that'll cut any ice in the world of work, eh?

Lily Gaynor, student, rang the ECHO's sister paper the Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News from ‘isolation’ where she and about 20 others were being kept to give firsthand details of their mass detention.

She was even asked by a teacher to end the call as she tried to provide information about the classes’ struggle.

'Her struggle'..? Why, she's like Martin Luther King, isn't she?

And….This Is A Problem How..?

Black people in Haringey may not benefit from plans to build new homes, a report has revealed.

So..?

In terms of ethnicity, white shared ownership buyers are over-represented at 71 per cent across two schemes in central and east Haringey compared with their presence in the population at 51 per cent. However black and minority ethnic shared ownership buyers are underrepresented at 29 per cent compared with their presence in the population of 48 per cent.

And maybe the reason for that is not the colour of their skin?

The assessment, published earlier this month, states that for the council to help support existing communities, ways of ensuring black households have access to low cost home ownership need to be explored.

One solution suggested is encouraging growth in jobs in the borough and changing the profile of Haringey-based employment to more highly skilled sectors.

I note the report doesn't say just how this would be achieved. But then, they never do. Do they?

Gaming 1992: "Indiana Jones And The Fate Of Atlantis" (unknown brand 386)

LucasArts once briefly dominated the world of point n’ click adventure with their innovative SCUMM system, and this was a stand-out game.


Riding the coat-tails of the film series, and incorporating the humour that was to be a hallmark of many of their other series, it was a neat mix of almost ‘platform’ type action allied to the usual hunt-for-the-hot-spot & combine-random-objects tasks expected from this genre. You could forgive it the now tinny-sounding music and the sometimes infuriatingly complex and bizarre puzzles because it was so damned addictive.

Thanks to the thirst for nostalgia, it's currently available to play on Steam.

Not A Great Use Of Public Funds…

Mr Tweddle said the family had concerns about Tyrrell’s treatment and had launched their own independent legal report concerning whether Article 2 of the Human Rights Act, the right to life, had been adhered to.

Mr Tweddle said he had found that Article 2 was not “engaged” but rejected the family’s request to adjourn the case while they applied for public funding to challenge it.

Are they the sort of people who deserve public money, I wonder?

The pensioner had been labelled as the mastermind behind the biggest cocaine smuggling operation ever seen in the country after UK Customs and Excise seized 396 kilos of cocaine, worth about £90m, on a beach of his house, on the Isle of Wight, in 2000.

Ah. Answered that question.

“You Weren’t Drink-Driving Schoolkids? Whew! What A Relief!”

“But you’re fired anyway…”:

Year 9 pupils from the Fitz-Wimarc School, in Hockley Road, were returning from a school trip to London’s Docklands when a pupil noticed a can of cider in the driver’s cab.

The pupil took a photo of the can and sent it to her mother, who contacted the school. Police met the driver when the coach arrived at the school and breathalysed him.

The test showed a zero result for alcohol.

Well, what a relief! Yes? Not for the driver…

Headteacher Robert Harris sent a letter to parents confirming the incident had happened.

It has not been disclosed which company provided the driver of the coach, but the school has taken action in response to the incident.

In his letter, which has been seen by the Echo, Mr Harris said: “I can confirm there was a largely full can of cider in the cab on the journey. The coach driver was met at the school and recorded a zero breath test.

“We do now leave this matter in police hands, but I can confirm the school will not employ the services of this driver again for any company and will seek reassurance from the company on its procedures before we even consider employing its services again. We have cancelled all remaining bookings to this effect.”

Good grief..!

There might have been a perfectly logical explanation for the presence of a can of ALCOHOL!!! in the cab that doesn't mean the driver ever intended to drink it while driving. The law over here (I know things are different in the US) does not state that a driver may not have alcohol in the vehicle, which is just as well, or I’d be in trouble on my way back from Sainsbury.

So it’d hardly be surprising that he didn't think it’d be a problem. It seems he reckoned without the forces of Puritanism coupled with the increasingly Stasi tendencies of pupils.

Blogging notice

Blogging (and Tweeting and replies to comments) will be absent for a few days while I battle with a case of conjunctivitis that struck over Easter. Normal service - apart from those few already scheduled posts - will resume when I can once again see out of both eyes!

I Couldn't Have Put It Better Myself...

'Nonsense like this' being..?

Investigating officer Pc Paul Armstrong said: “Hopefully this will send out a clear message that ‘trolling’ people on social media is not acceptable and we will take action against those who do.”

Was this the sort of law & order you envisaged yourself dealing with when you joined the police, PC Armstrong?

Well, I Suspect This Is At Least Accurate…

Kathryn Turner, defending Maskrey, said: “He has asked me to indicate remorse.”

In the same way the driver of the Ford Focus I followed yesterday indicated right, then turned left, no doubt…

The magistrates gave Maskrey a two-year conditional discharge, meaning he will be re-sentenced for the matter if he offends again in that period. He must also pay £87 in court costs and a £15 victims’ surcharge.

Chairman of the bench Hugh Riley said: “Regarding Bruno, we are ordering a contingent destruction order. We order that Bruno must be kept on a lead and muzzle in public places and outside home, except when in the secure compound of the home.”

Despite the fact the wretched animal is a serial offender:

Miss Islam asked the court for a destruction order for Bruno and cited an incident in August 2012 when the same dog had bitten through the coat of a man, a matter not pursued in the criminal courts which was settled by compensation.

Bruno’s nervousness around unknown males stems from abuse he suffered at the hands of a previous owner, when he was left in a cupboard.

Which makes him a ticking time bomb around unknown males. Why keep such an animal?

Maskrey, of previous good character, has done a lot of voluntary work with re-homing abandoned dogs with his wife and they allowed dog-training to take place on their land, Miss Turner said.

She added that the couple had sought advice from a former police dog trainer, Ian McParland, who concluded that Bruno did not pose a threat to public safety.

Tell that to the stitches in poor Mr Goggins’ arm…

Never Mind The Lack Of Mental Health Treatment…

…where the hell was social services looking out for the child’s welfare?

Serious questions have been raised about the mental health treatment of a mother who laid down before a speeding train cradling her toddler son, killing them both.

Donna Oettinger, 41, was denied urgent psychiatric help despite attempting suicide over "crippling" anxiety three months before she died at Riddlesdown station with three-year-old Zaki in her arms, an inquest heard today.

A tragedy that could have been avoided? Well, the psychiatrist said he didn't believe she'd harm her child, although she showed clear signs of wanting to do away with herself...

In the 10 months before her death, she twice held a knife to her own neck, had to be physically restrained from throwing herself under a train at East Croydon, and overdosed on prescription anti-depressants.

You might think, might you not, that a system which steps in and removes children simply because daddy thinks the occasional smack is a part of growing up would do so if mummy was intent of throwing herself in front of an express train.

But it seems you'd be wrong.

Remember, A Per Is For Life, Not Just For Christmas...

The 'Scho' typesetter there (or whatever the digital equivalent is), getting their 't' & 'r' mixed up..

Maybe He Should Have Been Done For People Smuggling Too..?

*sighs*

Made With Real Cats...?

FFS! You got it right in the body text and wrong in the headline..?

Sunday Funnies...

Hey, this egg/pin idea is really useful!

Never Mind ‘Help Blue’, Why Didn’t He Help The People Blue Was Savaging..?!

Davie, a mental health nurse, told the court she was at the hairdressers at the time of the attack, but could not explain why her husband, Graham, had not tried to intervene.

She said: “My husband phoned me and told me what was happening, and said he was coming to get me because Blue had got out.

“He couldn’t understand how he had got out, we had been told the garden was secure and we believed that to be the case, I did everything in my power to make the garden secure. I took responsibility for him, but nearly 100 per cent of the time my husband would walk him because I have problems with my legs.

“I accept my dog was responsible for the incidents. But when it happened I think my husband felt intimidated by all the noise and the people round about the dog, I actually could not understand why he did not make an attempt to help Blue.”

*speechless*

Mr Davie told the court: “I decided the best person to release the dog would be Pearl and that’s why I left the scene to get her.”

Clearly they put the wrong wretched useless beast down…

Sentence was deferred until next month for reports.

What reports..?!?

A More Accurate Headline Would Be....

..."Parents of disabled boy criticise hospital for failure to provide exact type of special bed they believe their son needs", wouldn't it?

Because the eight-year-old thrashes around in his sleep, his parents, Lynne and Stephen Neatis, from Preston, requested a protective high-sided bed to lay him down in.

The hospital offered a regular bed or alternative specialist models with one-to-one nursing, but Cody’s parents say this was not safe enough.

Hmmm...

Well, Judge Greenfield, It Might Have Been A Skipping Marathon…

…but then again, probably not, eh?

Judge Greenfield said he was "not quite clear what would have happened to [the girl] that day"…

Really, Judge..? Really..?!?

Naturally, the defence knows just who the real victim is here:

At a sentencing hearing on Thursday, his lawyer Tamsin Ryder, said in mitigation that Hassankhail was "extremely vulnerable" and had suffered "quite horrendous experiences" throughout his life.

She told the court the Afghan teenager had lost most of his family at a young age, suffered "attempted brainwashing at the hands of the Taliban" and had lived an isolated life without any responsible adults.

Yes, I’ve no doubt he had a pretty bad time of it. How nice of Britain to take him in. And look how we were repaid…

And it's not as if the potential problems posed by young males without adult male role models were unknown, either.

Miss Ryder appealed for Hassankhail to be spared a custodial sentence, which she said would put him at great risk.

Frankly, who cares about the risk to him?

But district judge Peter Greenfield said Hassankhail, in denying the charge, had forced the 11-year-old girl to give evidence at his trial and "relive in some respects what you did that day".

He dismissed the teenager's claims that he thought the girl had been a 16-year-old Croydon College student, pointing out her school was clearly signposted as a primary school and had a children's play area visible from outside.

He said: "Nevertheless you proceeded to take her away from her lawful custody."

Whew! At least the judge isn’t totally fooled.

He sentenced Hassankhail to a 18-month detention and training order, of which he will serve half in custody.

I’d like to think that the other half is served aboard a slow boat back to Afghanistan. But I doubt it.

A Product Of The Entitlement Generation, Who Seemingly All Possess The Selfishness Gene…

Erin, who preferred not to give her full name, lives with her boyfriend and their dog, Bo, in Los Angeles. She went online to buy a service vest for her pooch, because she wanted to avoid the fees charged by airlines for non-service animals - in the region of $90-$150 (£60-£100) to fly, one-way.Unlike working animals, they must be restrained in a container for the entire flight.

Erin, who is not disabled, travels everywhere with Bo because she says she can not bear to leave him home alone.

I think I can see why she prefers not to give her full name...

"I just love him so much much, it's crazy," she says. For $150, she purchased from a website a vest and certificate, stating that Bo is a full service dog. She says she feels guilty about cheating the system, but adds that she has a number of friends who behave in the same way.

You mean they are narcissistic, immoral airheads too? Fancy! They do say birds of a feather flock together…

"It concerns me when there are four dogs on a flight, and I know that mine isn't fully certified," she says. "I know he's fine but I don't know if some other dog is going to freak out."

Yes, that’s right, she’s complaining about the potential irresponsibility of those others who are doing exactly what she’s doing!

The seam of chutzpah this article’s mining goes that deep..!

Oh, Now You Need A Witness, Eh?

Ms Darby gave Kent Police the driver's full licence plate, but they will not take further action without a witness and the ladies are worried the driver may strike again.

Well, reporting a road rage attack in the present-day is clearly not the way to go about it.

Why doesn't your daughter just wait about 30 years, then claim the man in the car sexually assaulted her? She'll have dozens of cops working on the case then!

But All Homeless Aren’t Addicts, We’re Always Told…

Church shelters for the homeless have had to bring in new sanctions after guests have taken legal highs with devastating effects.

Heh! You’ve got to have a heart of stone, haven’t you?

Paramedics had to be called to an incident at Shoebury Baptist Church after a homeless person took a legal high and collapsed, while on the same night last month two people were found to be hallucinating and started punching and barging into vehicles nearby.

On another occassion, legal highs were found in church toilets during a children's play session.

That’s nice…

Mr Simmons added: “We then took a very strong stance at the shelters and read the riot act to anyone coming in.

“We know they are on sale in Southend, but the police can’t do anything as they are legal.

“They are cheaper then (sic) illegal drugs and the police can’t do anything about it. The effects seem to be just as bad though.

“When we started cracking down it seemed to reduce the number quite dramatically. Maybe we have an incident once or twice a week now.”

You mean, when actions start to have consequences, we can begin to see an improvement?

Gosh! Well, I never…

Colonisation...

Police formally objected to the proposals for the centre in Ashfield Road, Deeplish, citing that the applicant has family connections to suspects under investigation for alleged immigration offences.

But despite the concerns Rochdale Township planning committee approved the plans at a meeting this week.

Good grief! What would they do th....

Oh.

Coun Mohammed Zaman said: “I have been approached by a number of residents.

“There are anti-social behaviour and drug issues in the area.

“This teaching centre will provide somewhere for them to go.

“I know the family and they have been teaching for a long time - they provide a good service. There have been more than 30 letters of support.”

Coun Sameena Zaheer added: “If we refuse it these children will go somewhere else for learning.

“Do we not think it would be a good idea if we recommend that all the authorities know children are learning here? If they go somewhere else we will not be able to check the people that are teaching them.”

Say no more.

H/T: wiggia via email

One For Professional Standards…?

No charge was ever laid against Mrs Cadman-Khan, but she instructed solicitors Taylor Goodchild to mount a case against Cleveland Police for false arrest. That case was finally heard last month, after more than six years.

So much for quick justice, eh?

Judge Matthews said that in the earlier trial, Detective Sergeant Colin Helyer had been caught out "freestyle lying" in the witness box to enhance the case against Mrs Cadman-Khan.

He had said that Mrs Cadman-Khan had been "violent" by pushing past him and the girl had been "purple" with cold. However, Det Sgt Helyer had not recorded the claims in earlier statements and could not say when he had remembered them.

Ouch! It's not often a judge is quite so blunt.

Mitigating for Cleveland Police, Nathan Adams, stressed DS Helyer's primary concern was for the child and he had not been deliberately malicious.

Ah! A little white lie, Nathan? I think it was a bit more serious than that...

Speaking outside the court Mrs Cadman-Khan said: "I didn't do this for the money. He hurt two people, me and Aimee, and I wanted justice and I wanted an apology."

Judge Matthews was told that Mrs Cadman-Khan will be given an apology by police and the judge will make a decision on compensation in the coming weeks.

I hope it's a lot. But then, they aren't paying. We are...

Got Children? Great! Run Up A Council Tax Debt…

…and use them as a human shield with the blessing of the Children’s Society:

Bailiffs were instructed to chase unpaid council tax debts at thousands of homes in Bournemouth and Poole last year leaving children “frightened and worried”.

And that’s entirely down to their parents and their refusal to settle their bills.

Not the bailiffs. Not the council trying to ensure moochers pay their way.

Matthew Reed, chief executive of the Children’s Society, said: “Bailiffs should simply not be sent round to families with children.

“Instead, councils should give struggling residents a chance to negotiate affordable repayments, and make sure every family in trouble is offered independent debt advice."

Which councils promptly point out that, yes indeed, that is what they do:

Ian Milner, acting executive director of finance at Bournemouth Borough Council, said: “We encourage anyone having difficulties with their council tax payments to contact us to discuss the options available to them, including payment plans. We provide numerous opportunities for people to get in touch with us to seek help and advice.”

However there comes a times when all avenues are exhausted and – for the sake of the poor bloody taxpayer – the debt must be settled.

And it’s a shame that that means children are ‘worried’ or ‘upset’, but the consequences of that fall squarely on their parents.

Children are not human shields against paying your debts.

The Great Wall Of….Southwark?

Southwark Council enclosed four blocks on the Aylesbury Estate in south London with large hoardings of wood and metal on Friday.

Residents are furious that they are now only allowed to enter or leave their homes at a single exit, which is manned by private security officers.

You live on a gated estate, protected from the feral savages that roam other council estates, and you’re complaining..?!?

Aysen Dennis, 56, a housing campaigner who has lived on the estate for 22 years, said: "It makes it really difficult for people to get to their homes.

"We’ve already had tenants come to us to complain and we’re in the process of making a legal challenge.

"They are trying to stop the protesters basically, but other tenants are paying for it."

Ah. I see. Their self-appointed spokesman is complaining.

Well, he does seem to have made a career out of it, after all.

Cllr Mark Williams, cabinet member for regeneration, planning and transport, said: "The fence was installed as a direct response to the remaining few residents who expressed concerns about security on the site and anti-social behaviour from people who aren’t residents.

"Putting up the fence follows advice from the police, fire brigade and our officers who had similar experiences with other largely empty housing blocks."

And why would security be needed here, more so than any other council housing estate?

Last month, six people were arrested after police and firefighters were called in during an eviction of protesters, who were refusing to leave two occupied blocks.

The campaigners are still on the estate after they simply moved to another vacant block. Southwark has been forced to return to the courts to secure further possession orders.

*sigh* So much for that anti-squatter legislation and its myriad loopholes…

Who Knows What The Police Consider Their Responsibility These Days?

Tom Donohoe, West Yorkshire Police’s Customer Contact Centre Manager, said: “The seizure of stray dogs became the responsibility of local authorities following a change to the law in 2008.

“In this instance, however, the caller explained that she thought the dog was dangerous and that it had tried to bite her. In such a situation police should have therefore responded.

“We take an average of 1,000 calls to the 999 number every day and the vast majority of them are dealt with appropriately - unfortunately on this occasion we fell below the extremely high standards we set ourselves.

“The call handler will receive extra training to ensure we learn from our mistakes.”

*hollow laughter*

She said: “Even on my insistence that this was an out-of-control and dangerous dog, and my emphasis that this dog was a danger for the public and may well go on and attack someone else who might be unfortunate enough to pass by, the police refused to accept responsibility and help.

“This left me feeling extremely angry and helpless. Not only was I standing there, with my bleeding dog in my arms and the aggressive dog still in sight, but in the knowledge that the police don’t care. Surely it is the responsibility of the police to keep the public safe?”

Yes. You’d think so. Wouldn't you?

Just Not Much Of A Driver…

The mum of a quad bike crash victim says her heart is breaking over the accident which has left him in a critical condition but says her baby is a 'fighter'.

Hmmm….

Mr Ferrier struck two cars before being thrown from the quad bike and into a brick wall pillar where he sustained a head injury.

Luckily there was no-one in his path, eh?

On the Worcester News website she wrote: "I hope to god nothing like this ever happens to your loved one. Thankfully no other was injured but the only child that was hurt is my child. He was doing no wrong but yet I sit at his bedside praying he comes through this."

Oh, I think you’ll find he was indeed doing something wrong!