Post Title Of The Month

It's sing-along-a-Leg-Iron:

Quote Of The Month

Longrider on the politicization of tragedy:

"Tragedies happen. This one appears to be the result of negligence – although that is yet to be proven. It takes time to investigate and the shrill screams for answers will not make the process happen more quickly. But how repugnant is the vile little man who weaponises a tragedy for personal and political gain. Oh, yeah, that would be Comrade Corbyn, the nasty little Marxist at the head of the Labour Party."

Post Of The Month

Al Jahom wonders at the double standards we seem to be happy to accept.

More Exercises In Futility...

A banned driver who drove to get a hair cut has avoided jail. Liam Page decided to take friends for a trip to have the trim but was ignoring court orders by doing so.

Well, why shouldn't he? There are, after all, no consequences for not obeying them.

Page was on a suspended sentence for offences in Colchester. He had trashed a house after crashing a car into the wall of a house, refused a breath test, had a lock knife and found to be producing cannabis.

Or, as we say in these part, 'Normal for Essex',,,

Lucy Osbourne, mitigating, said: “He knows he has made a mistake.

“You will see he has previous convictions and he is not proud of it.”

Really? You could have fooled me!

Page was sentenced to a 12 month community order with six points on his licence, when he gets it back next year.

Why should he ever get it back?

Post Title Of The Month - Election Edition

DumbJon tells it like it is:

Quote Of The Month - Election Edition

Tom Paine at 'The Last Ditch' pinpoints the true failure:

I take no satisfaction in having been right about the unnecessary election of June 2017. The voters punished Mrs May for putting party before country. In their ire they came close to inflicting upon us all a government Communist in all but name. We had a narrow escape. I was in New York and watched the result through the eyes of a baffled America that wants to like us but just can't help seeing us as has beens with baffling delusions of grandeur.

About the only lesson that everyone (but Mrs May) can agree upon is that she is an idiot. She's a dead woman walking and it's only gracious to avert our pitying gaze.

Post Of The Month - Election Edition

A dead heat this month. Tim Newman faces up to some harsh reality. And so does The Flaxen Saxon.

Now They Are Actually Boasting About It!

Office manager Sophie Franklin, 30, from Basildon, splashed out nearly £38,000 on her company debit card - spending the cash on designer clothes, make-up, and sunglasses for her and her friends.

Inner London Crown Court heard that she spent £7,000 on taxis and more than £14,000 on mobile phones and bills between January 2014 and August 2016 while working for Circle Square Agency, based in Bermondsey, south east London.

She also splashed out more than £1,500 on flights and hotels abroad including to Rome, St Lucia and Hong Kong. Money was also spent on Apple products and theatre tickets - all at the company’s expense.

Her fraud only came to light after she left for a new job and her replacement began to cross check and audit invoices which Franklin had been responsible for. The court heard the total loss to the company, including the cost of the audit, was £37,997.

Yes, yes, the company should have had some form of control, clearly. But even so...

She was jailed for 18 months, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to one count of fraud.

WTAF..?

After taking her plea at a previous hearing, Judge Owen Davies QC told her: “I hate sending to prison women who have not been to prison before and who have been convicted for the first time of a criminal offence.

They aren't even trying to hide it any more, are they?

“It seems to me that £38,000 is a lot of money and as demonstrated to me today is not uncommon.”

Eh..?

A Question I Think We've All Felt Like Asking...

Tyrone Castello was seen last month on Channel 5 documentary Inside the Gang, talking about his experiences in London gangs and his efforts to make it as a self-publishing rap artist.

But the 39-year-old, of Tyrone Avenue, Southend, was arrested just after Christmas for brandishing the pointed weapon in Queen’s Road, Southend.

Well, if I was going to Queen's Road outside of daylight hours, I might feel the need for a wee rapier or cutlass too....

Castello arrived one hour late for his trial at Basildon Crown Court because he had to raise the money to pay for a bus ticket - which Judge David Owen-Jones (Ed: Oh, hai!) labelled a “lame excuse”.

Gosh, it's like they have no respect for the might and majesty of our justice system, isn't it? I wonder why...

He immediately remanded Castello into custody, calling him “totally irresponsible” because he had already failed to attend two previous hearings.

That'll show him the court system isn't to be trifled with!

Castello was told he will be sentenced on June 26 and must remain in custody until then, at which point he shouted: “Are you serious man? What the hell is going on?”

You'll find out. I hope. I won't hold my breath.

Looks Like Someone Clubbed The Progressives' Latest Baby Seal*...

I really don't know why bizarre and unlikely theories are started in order to provoke unrest.

Do you, David Lammy?

*

"This isn’t a witch hunt - I don’t want anyone finding her and knocking over her scooter."

Frankly, I don't see how that's possible, short of having one of those mini-diggers handy:

“She had a kid on the front of it and a dog alongside.

“The scooter was massive.

“She crashed into the side of one of the machines.

“She drove forwards and back and seemed to think it was funny.”

Of course she did. She knows there are no consequences.

He added that the machine was an old model and so couldn’t be repaired, but a replacement would be about £3,500. Buying the modern equivalent would cost about £5,000.

It is not a legal requirement for mobility scooters to have insurance unless they are driven on the road.

Mr Richardson said they were welcome in the arcade, as long as users were careful of children using the venue.

Anyone with information about the incident or the identity of the woman pictured can call Essex Police on 101.

For whatever good that would possibly do...

Fools And Their Money Are Soon Parted....

...and it's even quicker now we have the Internet!

Emma Bray, 20, took to Facebook to say she could not afford the £270 bill to return lurcher Bee, who disappeared from her home in Canterbury.

Dog lovers were quick to set up a GoFundMe page to raise the money, with donations pouring in to help reunite the mum-of-two with her family pet.

Whoa there! Not so fast...

But it emerged yesterday the dog is still with council contractor Animal Wardens, which was so concerned by its welfare it reported the case to the RSPCA.

It says the dog was in poor health and suffering from fleas, worms and mange, and had an open wound to her tail, requiring urgent veterinary treatment.

The firm disputes Miss Bray’s claims that the dog went missing on May 5, the day it took Bee in, saying a member of the public reported it running stray for four days before.

One might ask how a 'single mum of two' can afford the cost of owning a dog in the first place....

You Have To Be Quick To Beat The Mods!

I know Finsbury Park well. My Algerian husband is from the area and he prays in the mosque that was attacked. The recent attack on London Bridge and Borough market was carried out by men from Barking. I was born in Barking. It’s all feels so close to home.

 Hmmm, really? How would you know, since you spend so little time here?

As a humanitarian doctor and filmmaker I have worked mainly overseas, often in war zones.

 A bit of background would be ni...

Oh!

Well, damn!

Who To Believe..?

There's the NHS and the police involved, after all:

Relatives said Da Costa’s doctor had told them before he died that he had sustained a broken neck, brain damage as a result of head injuries, a broken collarbone and loss of his eyesight due to the quantity of CS spray used on him.

“This is what the doctors told us,” said his cousin, Natalia Leles. “We were told by the doctor – my uncle was told by the doctor – plenty of us witnessed him say this: that his collarbone was broken, that he suffered fractures on his head, which caused him to seizure.”

Cue the mob! Riots!

Oh, hang on...

The IPCC said on Friday: “The preliminary postmortem found that Mr Da Costa did not suffer a broken neck or any other spinal injury during his interaction with the police. It found he did not suffer a broken collarbone or bleeding to the brain.

“Rigorous investigations into the cause of Mr Da Costa’s death are continuing, including into the use of force.”

The watchdog said it was releasing those details because it was concerned about the “rapid spread of false and potentially inflammatory information” online about Da Costa’s condition.

Maybe the police & NHS are off the hook, then? Now, who could possibly stand to gain from these sorts of rumours, I wonder?

Update: Ah. Of course. The usual suspects. Maybe if that doctor can be traced and admits to having said this, he should be hit with the clean-up bill?

Because Nothing Says 'We're No Snowflakes!'...

...like wearing cat ears on our demo.

When Your Demand For Etiquette Fails Miserably...

And it's spelled 'doughnut', you cretin.

Sunday Funnies...

Well.....what the hell else are you supposed to do with it all?

Vale, Bystander...

Some sad news, my Blogroll is in 'Missing Man' formation today:

It's fair to say we had differing views on crime and punishment. I had quite a few run-ins with him at his blog, but he was always interesting and informative, and very good natured about it.

Such a shame he didn't get to enjoy a well earned and long retirement.

H/T: CJ Nerd via email

It Was The Property Developers Wot Dunnit!

Ed Vulliamy weeps for the 'community' he knew...

A contemporary free glossy magazine called The Hill describes the neighbourhood of my youth to its wealthy readers as “a no-go area for sure”. That’s not how I remember things; I think Notting Hill was a special place to grow up. It had its well established white working class, many of whom lived in poverty described by the politician Alan Johnson in his memoir. It had been largely built by the Irish, who had begun arriving in the mid-19th century and continued to do so. It was settled in the 1940s by refugees from General Franco’s uprising against the Spanish republic, and during the 50s by those arriving from the West Indies on boats such as the Windrush, shipped by then minister of labour, Enoch Powell, to provide a cheap workforce.

 I think there's a clue there. Can anyone see what it is?

My parents came from the latest influx, mostly white, of jazz-generation bohemians, into this minestrone population. Ironically, Ladbroke Grove was one of the few affordable areas in London for mum and dad – post-second world war and post art-school. In those days, people really did leave doors unlocked. Mothers used to swap children around between one another when they needed to work.

There's a great difference between that influx of mass immigration, and the current one. Maybe that's the reason?

Then came the people rightly called “property speculators” – now euphemistically described as “developers” – and their estate agents.

Ah. My mistake.

I joined forlorn attempts to rescue our local pubs – those indoor urban village greens where lifelong friendships and decisions were made, bets lost and sweethearts won, pints pulled, chasers downed, kisses locked and punches thrown. Tavern after tavern turned into luxury dwellings or snazzy bistros.

And the smoking ban, plus the increase in non-alcohol drinking population,  had nothing to do with that, right?

With the changes, lines have been drawn. The threads of that complex, convivial weave in which I grew up have been torn out and re-sewn, managed into a tapestry of brutal lines, on one side of which lies today’s road whence mum and I beheld the now skeletal Grenfell Tower.

A society can bear mass immigration, and we once did. But it depends who immigrates, and why they do so.

I Guess The Mad Terrorist-Supporting Socialist Wasn't The Biggest Danger In The Recent Election After All...

...it was the desperate-to-cling-to-power wet 'Tory':

Theresa May has promised the Grenfell Tower tragedy will not be used as excuse to carry out immigration checks, after it emerged victims were not seeking help over fears they would be reported to the Home Office.

In statement given to the House of Commons on Thursday, the Prime Minister said the immigration status of those affected by the tragedy or those providing “vital” information would not be investigated.

If there's a more dangerous precedent than telling people who don't obey our laws that a tragic fire could see them home free with a British passport, then I don't know what it is...

Police Farces And Twitter....

...sometimes they're witty, and informative, and sometimes they go as well together as matches and gasoline:

Oh, Inspector Evans, it's awful when your bit of pointless virtuesignalling goes ever so slightly awry, isn't it?

But you're not the first thin-skinned dimwit in blue, and you won't be the last...

I mean, honestly, what are they teaching at Hendon these days?

Vignettes Of Modern Life

The partner of a woman accused of murdering her newborn baby seconds after she gave birth said he was so engrossed in his X-box game he did not question when she asked for a pair of scissors.

*speechless*

Tunstill, of Wellington Court, Burnley, denies murder after the body of her infant daughter Mia Kelly was found in a kitchen bin with more than 15 stab wounds.

*still speechless*

Mr Kelly told Preston Crown Court he only learned a baby had been born when he returned home from work on Monday January 16 to find police officers searching the bins.

Mr Kelly doesn't seem like the sharpest pair of scissors in the drawer, it must be said...

When she went into the bathroom on January 14, suffering severe stomach pains, he believed it was 'part of the process', he told the court.

In a statement to the police, Mr Kelly, said: “I know it’s difficult to believe but Rachel deals with everything herself.

“She takes all control at all times and I’m better just staying out of the way.

Ah, modern man. Marvel at the sight!

“Every 20 minutes or so I did go and check on her and ask her if she was OK and if she needed anything.

“I asked her if she had thought of ringing a doctor and at one point she did say she might have to. That is all that was said about it.

But never let it be said he's incapable of insight!

“Obviously with hindsight I should have rung an ambulance.”

Ya think..?!?

Putting The 'Dim' In 'Dimmock'...

Susan Dimmock, deputy chief executive of Steps To Work, was found guilty of racially aggravated harassment after a trial.

The charity, which receives funding from the EU and the National Lottery, helps people in the Black Country and Staffordshire get in to work through training and advice.

Hopefully, some of that advice will now be 'Don't be a twat to the chap who's driving you home'...

She denied racially aggravated harassment, but was found guilty by magistrates after a trial last Thursday. She was fined £623 and told to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and court costs of £362.

Andrew Dimmock was also found guilty of two charges in relation to the same incident. Andrew, 50, of the same address, was in the taxi. Following a conversation between the couple and Mr Ali, it was alleged he grabbed the driver’s radio equipment, breaking his bluetooth device. It was said he also ripped the driver’s display licence.

He was convicted of assault and criminal damage by magistrates. He was fined £173 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30, £25 compensation and £362 court costs.

What a charming couple. The best you can say is that they deserve each other.

Yet More Evidence That Society Has Changed Irrevocably...

The zoo said on Monday: “After extensive consultation with the staff at the zoo, we have decided not to put down the tiger. This decision has been fully supported by Rosa’s family.

“We are awaiting the findings of the investigation to fully understand what happened before we take further action on this matter. If we receive regulatory or professional guidance to the contrary, we will review our position.”

Andrew Swales should have his license to run a zoo removed immediately if this was even considered as an option. Particularly if the thought was uppermost in his mind that it might be appropriate to consider - much less act on - the feelings of the family in this matter.

But it;'s yet another sign of the 'Dianafication' of society, which now seems to think that exaggeration of grief and open displays of mawkish sentimentality is the norm. Even to the point that destroying a healthy zoo specimen, one moreover from a critically endangered species, might be considered as some grotesque form of 'atonement' for procedural errors.

That Moment When....

...you realise you've climbed aboard a tiger, and can't figure out how to dismount without getting bitten.

Party sources insisted Mr Corbyn had no plans to attend the rally or speak at the event and in a comment a spokeswoman said: “The Labour Party has no involvement whatsoever in this event.”

Their grubby fingerprints are all over it.

The outraged comments come days after shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said a million people should “take to the streets to force Theresa May from power”.

The police should be investigating him for that comment. But they are overstretched, I suppose, dealing with heinous crimes.

A pox on all of them. If police get hurt during this march, I suddenly realise I don't much care, as they aren't so very different from the marchers themselves...

H/T: Mud in the Blood & WoaR in comments

Personally, I Thought The Problem Was Getting Them To Shut Up...

Kierran Pearce has set his goals high - he wants every child in the country to have their voice heard.

Christ, I don't!

Helping mainstream and special schools across Essex integrate has never been enough and he is determined to roll his project out on a bigger scale. The Multi Schools Council is the brainchild of the primary school teacher, who works at the Edith Borthwick special school in Braintree. Founded in 2012, the project allows pupils to discuss ideas to bring down barriers for children with special needs.

Ah, I see.

The Multi Schools Council is open to all schools and Kierran wanted to reinforce the point there are still many people who see children with additional needs as different.

Well, yes. They are. They have special needs.

On the scheme’s website, Toby from Doucecroft School echoes the views of Mr Pearce. He says: “I hope me and other people with autism all have the same privileges and pleasures to roam this earth and have the same rights as everyone else.”

You do.

“Please show patience and understanding, because we are all the same inside.”

You aren't. Clearly.

Sounds Like You'll Be Having Some Interviews Without Coffee With The Met Later, Mayor...

...and not just because it's Ramadan, either.

They are literally refusing to even speak about the terrorist flags, our country is lost. pic.twitter.com/PRDCscE4bO

— Caolan Robertson (@CaolanRob) June 18, 2017

What have our police become? The arrogance and indifference conceal fear, fear that they might be shown up as what they are, impotent in the face of domineering aggression from a favoured minority.

So Just What Are Your 'Institutional Values', Then?

Bosses at Strathclyde University were forced to send a memo to the 400 students and 250 staff asking them to stop with their 'inappropriate' toilet habits.

 Were people taking their mobiles into the loo? God, I hate that and...

Oh.

The memo, posted on Thursday, was sent by the operations management team of the University's Technology and Innovation Centre.It read: 'Given the incidence of people pooing in bins, showers and the likes, can I please remind all TIC occupants that the toilets have been provided for that specific purpose.

'All bodily fluids, solids and toilet paper must be disposed of down the toilet.

'While I appreciate that the TIC population is multi-cultural and different countries have different practices, here in the UK the accepted practice is to use only the WC.'

Naturally, the university let out a screech of alarm at the thought that the sort of people who can't use a First World toilet properly might feel singled out, and came down like a ton of bricks on the poor sod fed up of scrubbing human excrement off the shower tiles.

The university apologised for offence caused by suggesting that ‘multicultural’ practices may be behind the poo problem. Strathclyde University spokeswoman said: ‘We’ve apologised for any offence caused to colleagues.

‘The email contained sentiments completely contrary to our institutional values and should not have been sent. It was recalled as soon as it came to our attention and we swiftly issued an apology to staff.’

That's a great advert for Strathclyde University, isn't it? "Come and be educated here, where if you want to shit on the floor, you can!!"

Well, As The Mayor Said...

...it's all just part and parcel of living in a big city, isn't it?

The Muslim Council of Britain condemned the attack as 'the most violent manifestation' yet of Islamophobia and called for extra security around mosques, which the Met has now promised.

But I thought they were overstretched..?

Jamal, 21, told MailOnline: 'I think it's terrible what happened in so many locations I don't know if I'm going to be alive tomorrow, I'm worried what's going to happen tomorrow, it's scary

'It's not safe in London, total, 100 per cent it is not safe, I'm worried to come out of my house right now, it's not safe.'

You'd need a heart of stone, wouldn't you?

They Really DO Exist!

No, not the Loch Ness monster, or Bigfoot, but.... oxygen thieves!

H/T: CJ Nerd via email

If They've Developed Super Powers....

...humanity is done for!

H/T: Stephen Brown via email

Sunday Funnies...

Wait, only one of these is from Australia...?!

We've Changed, And Not For The Better...

A Tweet from Tim Newman yesterday threw into sharp relief the changes we've seen in ... well, just my lifetime:

Quite. I don't recall the Leader of the Opposition openly fomenting revolution at those times, either. as Longrider points out. I may have disagreed with their politics, but there was no question that back then, Labour had politicians of stature. Now? They have monsters in red rosettes.

The roll call of the dead is quite telling, too:

Khadija Saye and Mohammed Alhajali are the first people to be named as victims of the Grenfell Tower fire.

The family of Saye, an artist whose work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale, told Sky News that she had been killed.

The death of Syrian refugee Alhajali was confirmed by Albdulaziz Almashi, the co-founder of the Syria Solidarity Campaign in the UK, where he worked.

You'll be hard pressed to find any gor blimey, guvnor, salt of the earth cockneys in this roll call.

Which perhaps goes some way towards understanding the sense of entitlement and inability to believe that 'the authorities' aren't in some way concealing the fate of their loved ones for some nefarious purpose...

Beinazir Lasharie, a resident and local Labour councillor, said: “We’re a nuisance to the council. Their attitude is: ‘How dare so many ethnic minority foreigners who are not well off live in these ugly flats?’”

Lasharie had been evacuated from her flat in a block next to the tower, and was uncertain about when she could return. “They don’t care about us, they don’t listen to us. It’s as if they want us to move out. They are socially cleansing us across the borough.”

If 'socially cleansing' means 'moving people who cannot afford to live in Kensington without the taxpayer's help to cheaper areas', then, frankly, I'm all for it.

Why is it necessary that we house them in desirable areas? I'm happy to miss out on the 'benefits' of having a diverse culture:

Sentencing, District Judge Tanweer Ikram said: "The whole country, if not the whole world, has been shocked by what has taken place in the last few days in relation to the fire at Grenfell Tower.

"The horror is not to be underestimated. The dignity of the dead must always be respected.

"What you have done by uploading those photos shows absolutely no respect to this poor victim. To show his face as he lies there is beyond words.

"That view is shared in the horror and disgust that is shown by those people that have uploaded messages on your profile.

"It is an aggravating feature that when people said to you 'This is really sick, just call the police' and 'call the cops rather than post photos', you didn't. "You didn't remove the photos."

The judge accepted Mwaikambo had no previous convictions and was remorseful for what he did, but with the events of the fire the case was "unprecedented". Mwaikambo, of Testerton Walk, was given six weeks for each charge to run consecutively and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £115 and and costs of £85.

There really are no words.

"Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with..."

"Some men just want to watch the world burn."

And we call these people 'journalists':

You might wonder why a newspaper would interview such a bubble-headed nonentity on something as serious as the awful task facing the fire investigators and police,

You might also wonder at the breathless admiration shown by other equally clueless 'journalists' to this mouthbreather demanding the moon on a stick, and demanding it NOW!

The answer's simple. Riots sell newspapers, or in the modern parlance, garner likes and retweets. That pleases advertisers, and keeps these people in a job. 

'Spitting Image' got it wrong all those years ago, portraying the reporters as pigs. I guess vultures were harder to animate.

Mind you, sometimes there's a faint glimmer of hope that they might just have front row seats at the whirlwind they've sown:

Remember when 'journalist' or 'broadcaster' was something to be proud to admit to? I do.  Those days are now long past.

What Passes For 'News' These Days...

There’s nothing quite like tucking into a warm, crumbly pasty after a long day - so imagine the shock of this vegetarian when he took a bite into a cheese and onion slice and found chicken inside.

Oh noes!

Mr Hesketh said: “I can’t believe this has happened.”

The mistake occurred in-store, where products are baked and packaged then sold on the deli counter.

So someone put the wrong label on. *shrugs*

His sister Jessica Hesketh said: “My dad rang the Co-op helpline and they are sending him a £10 voucher.”

Whew! All's well that ends well.

Have you experienced similar incidents in the region? Email Louisa.Baldwin@Archant.co.uk

*sighs*

H/T: Dave Ward via email

Who Said ‘Crime Doesn’t Pay’? Pt 24789325871

Heather Ffrench, 52, of Sparrows Herne, Basildon, and former colleague Anthony Olomofe, 46, of Curling Tye, Basildon, stood trial facing 30 counts of fraud by abuse of position.

Ffrench eventually changed her plea to guilty on the second day of the trial, admitting 25 counts of fraud, and a date was set for sentence.

Mr Olomofe was cleared of all charges after the trial concluded.

Yup, it's this case. Sentencing, when the full might of the justice system ensures she pays back her debt to society.

Recorder Royall sentenced Ffrench to 15 months in prison suspended for 18 months. She was also ordered to pay costs of £6,209.

Wait, hang on! Even Diane Abbott would realise that's about two thirds what she stole!

Ffrench laughed with friends as she walked from court.

As well she might...

Was He Paying Business Rates?

Judge Clement Goldstone, QC, said McGowan’s makeshift repairs, with the wire and wooden pallets, were “a recipe for disaster”. He said: “It’s quite clear to me you have put money and the prospects of profit from the business of breeding these animals ahead of safety.”

Well, yeah. How many did he have?

McGowan admitted being responsible for four dangerously out of control dogs. He kept 14 others, which have been re-homed with the RSPCA.

Good grief! In a small terraced house in Liverpool! The noise and smell must have been terrible.

I don't know how the poor dogs put up with it...

Mr Lennon said his “devastated” client, who cares for his six-year-old son, was “horrified and distraught” and “truly sorry”.

He said he was “vilified and demonised on social media” and “disturbed” by threats, but accepted he was not the victim.

Are we sure he's from Liverpool..?!?

The judge accepted McGowan was “devastated” but said the incident was “entirely foreseeable” and banned him from keeping dogs for 12 years.

Should have been life, but it's much more than the usual feeble ban. So long as someone makes sure to check he's obeying it...

It Takes A While, But They Catch On Eventually....

An engineer who repeatedly sped and lied to the police has been jailed for six months, despite begging a judge not to send him to prison so...

Ooh! *settles in with popcorn*

...he could pay his daughter’s private school fees.

...
...
... well, I wasn't expecting that!

Matthew Potter, 41, of Langley Place, Billericay, appeared at Basildon Crown Court on Tuesday, where he pleaded guilty to six counts of perverting the course of justice. Between August 7, 2015 and August 29, 2016, he was caught speeding six times in his BMW 318D and a Mitsubishi L200.

The most serious offence took place on July 1 last year when he was clocked driving at 60mph in a 40mph zone.

Each time he was stopped, he gave officers false information and created a fictitious name on formal documents in a bid to get away with it.

You'd have thought they might have wised up after the first couple of times, but then, this is Essex Police, after all.

In his first interview, he insisted the vehicles were being driven by people at his work, Network Rail, on test drives.

/facepalm

But Judge Ian Graham jailed him for six months for his ‘dishonest’ actions. He told him: “Unfortunately for you what you did was dishonest, it was criminal and it was persistent and it was clearly carried out to avoid the consequences of exceeding the speed limit.

“I am afraid these matters must come home to roost and you must face the consequences. These offences were committed during a highly stressful period of your life. But these offences are so serious they can only be met with a custodial sentence.”

At last, a judge with some common sense.

Terrible, Terrible Cuts!

Dozens of primary school students lay down in the road and played dead as part of a shocking safety campaign.

I thought schools were overburdened?

Constable Leigh Allen, community officer for Clackmannanshire West said: 'We were happy to support this event organised by the parents' council. 'It highlights how dangerous it is to park on the double yellow lines outside the school.

'Officers attended to ensure the road was free of traffic so it was safe for the children to lie down on the road.'

I thought police were stretched to the limit?

'Nah, Don't Know Nuffin' About It...'

Police say the incident was reported to them at 1.44pm on Sunday, but no arrests have been made and no criminal offences have been reported.

Really? FFS! Did they not even bother turning up to the scene?

Paula Friend, said: “It was such a lovely day but all changed very quickly and our world has been turned upside down.”

Mrs Friend said after walking along the beach at Greatstone the group encountered a young man with a large dog as they walked back along the road way. She said: “He decided that he would cross the road. I stood back and my husband with our retriever stood behind us.

“The dog started pulling to get across to us and we still stood where we were.” The dog then slipped out of its collar and ran for Badger.

Mrs Simon said: “He just picked our dog up and he was just swinging him round. People were stopping their cars and running out their houses. They were just trying to desperately get our dog. I was just screaming for help.

“The young boy must have phoned his mum who came with a choke collar. The young lad’s trousers were just ripped off him. We felt sorry for him as well. The people had only had the dog for two weeks after they had rehomed it.”

Who rehomed a large aggressive animal with people incapable of handling it? If it was a registered charity, surely they have questions to answer?

“I was driven to the vets in Ashford by a wonderful man who lives in Greatstone while my husband stayed with our other dog waiting for the police. I knew it wasn’t good. Badger couldn’t move. It was the biggest dog I have ever seen. I have never been so scared in my life and so very helpless. It’s just so sad.

“We want to thank all the people who stopped and desperately tried to help and warn those that take on these very powerful dogs.” Mr Friend said: “You don’t understand the power of these animals. The vet that works with Emily was brilliant. Everybody was just brilliant.”

The Friends hope to get in touch with anyone who helped to say a personal thanks, in particular the Listers.

Probably better than trying to get in touch with the police, who prove themselves utterly useless once again...

Yes, People Hate Them, Because 'Racism'...

People taking their sick animals to a PDSA hospital have claimed travellers from a nearby camp are offering them dogs "for a tenner each".

According to staff and clients of the PDSA pet hospital at William Prance Road, some travellers arrived on neighbouring land on Saturday with a number of small dogs and chickens. And since then people arriving with sick and injured animals have apparently been getting offered the Chihuahua-like dogs at knockdown prices.

How lovely! Just what you want when you're on your way to the PDSA clinic.

"Hey, missus! Got a really sick animal, have ya? Likely to die, is it?"

"Well, yes..."

"Want another?"

Staff said the illegal encampment which included about seven caravans along with half a dozen vans and flat-bed trucks – parked in the street, on pavements and covering double yellow lines – was causing a lot of disruption to the daily business of the pet hospital.

 I'm pretty sure if I did that, I'd be ticketed, clamped and towed. Are the police doing anything at all?

Following an altercation at the site between two men – one of who was arrested on suspicion of affray while the other is still outstanding – police extinguished a bonfire which had been lit.

*sighs*

That was in March. This is now:

Travellers have returned to the car park and roads around a Plymouth pet hospital. A convoy of caravans last arrived in the car park at the PDSA pet hospital at William Prance Road, back at the end of March.

Now they appear to be back again, after vehicles began arriving last night, Monday, June 5, at 6pm.

Eyewitnesses report vehicles were causing an obstruction making it difficult for PDSA staff to get out of car park with some having to mount the pavement in order to get past. This morning, there were nine caravans and four Ford Transit vans at the scene.

It is understood both the council and police have been made aware.

The reporter was very self-contained not to have added "...for all the good that will do!"

H/T: WoaR in comments

Sorry, WRAS, Scum Don't Care About Other People Either...

Rescuers from East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service (WRAS) (Ed: Oh, hai..!) dealt with a distressing call just before 7am yesterday morning at an address in The Circus, Eastbourne.

Centre manager and rescuer Chris Riddington, from Eastbourne, said “When I took the call I spoke to a very upset lady who believed a gull had been shot on her roof and was now laying injured in her garden.

“When I saw the bird, the wounds were consistent with being shot, there were clear entry and exit holes and the feathers had been pushed into the wound. Sadly the bone was fractured quite badly and it wasn’t looking good.”

Chris took the injured bird to St Anne’s vets in Eastbourne who agreed that the gull was in a serious condition and the kindest thing was to put the bird to sleep.

Clearly, the cruelty to animals angle isn't working. Can we suggest another tactic?

Chris added: “Spending some time with the caller this morning, the person shooting the gull is not only committing a criminal offence shooting the birds and leaving them injured but they are causing anti-social behaviour making this lady scared and fearful to go near her windows, they are reducing her to tears.

She has lived at the address four years and has never known anything like this. Not only does she have to lay there at night as birds are shot on her roof she then rushes outside to their aid and looks after then until we arrive. She has to see the wounds, the blood over her patio, the fear in the bird’s eyes.

In many cases like this it is not just the wildlife that is suffering but the local residents too. It breaks my heart to see this. A lady who doesn’t feel comfortable in her own home.”

Well, I suppose it's worth a try.

East Sussex WRAS has contacted the police who will be investigating the matter.

Which is policespeak for 'filing this under 'meh!'...' no doubt...

He added: We frequently get people calling us saying they have seen someone shooting out of a bedroom window. We would urge anyone who sees anyone doing so to call Sussex Police on 999 if an offence is in the process of being committed or to call 101 if after the event."

She'd be better off getting a proper gun & shooting back. They'd turn up then, to arrest her.

I Guess The Sign Didn't Work, Then?

Police today launched an appeal after a man was shot at a 40th birthday party. The 22-year-old victim went to an east London hospital after being shot in the leg when a gun was fired as celebrations came to a close at the Praba Banqueting Hall, in High Road, Ilford.

Hmmm, that name seems familiar. *snaps fingers* Aha!

Detectives from Scotland Yard’s Trident and Area Crime Command are investigating and today called for witnesses and information.

Good luck with that.

The Internet Eats The MSM's Lunch (Again)

A teenage girl enlisted her boyfriend to help murder her mother and younger sister, it can now be revealed.

Sweethearts Kim Edwards and Lucas Markham, who were 14 when they became Britain’s youngest double killers, were named yesterday for the first time.

Well, if you rely on the MSM, and never stop to think, yes.

But people using social media knew immediately they were arrested, and anyone with half a brain knew, by virtue of the fact that the papers all mentioned three daughters, and only two were ever named.

But Then On The Other Hand, Enough Are Still In Post...

*sighs*

Looks Like Some 'Mail' Photo Library Staff Have Moved To The 'Guardian'...

Errr....

H/T: Tim Bonner via Twitter

Sunday Funnies...

Wait, who doesn't want a BatBot? I know I do!

A Story That Sums Up Modern London...

A mute and autistic four year old clung to his mother's rotting corpse for two weeks before starving to death in their London flat.

Chadrack Mbala Mulo was too disabled to call for help when his mother Esther died after an epileptic fit at their Hackney home in October.

The windows were open but neighbours thought the stench of Mrs Mulo's rotting corpse was her Congolese cooking.

All hail diversity! Are we not enriched?

Staff at his Morningside Primary had tried to call his mother and visited the family home twice but could not make contact.

Where was the father? Where were the relatives? The - dare I say it - co-workers/employers?

Well, the 'Guardian' thinks this is a case for the overarching state, of course:

In a report to the children’s minister, Edward Timpson, the coroner said she feared more people could die in similar circumstances, unless action was taken. She highlighted a string of changes that had taken place in order to avoid a similar situation arising again.

“If a child unexpectedly fails to attend and no relevant adult can be contacted via phone, staff at the school do not now wait three to five days as they did then, but instead immediately send a member of staff to the family home.

“They now make a distinction between an attendance issue that may warrant a penalty (not the case for Chadrack because he was under the age of five years) and a potential welfare issue,” Hassell wrote in her report.

“If there is no answer at the family home when staff members attend, they now immediately contact the police, who in most cases are likely to force entry.” She added that Chadrack’s east London school now collects phone numbers for three family members, rather than just one.

She commended the school for changing its systems to no longer wait three to five days to visit the home of a child who missed school unexpectedly but said it was unlikely that others have similar systems and called on the government to take action.

So the police and school staff now have the added burden of checking up all reports of absentees, sending up the balloon when they can't gain entry, all so the country can enjoy the benefits of having a diverse population.

Said 'benefits' being the additional welfare burden of a Congolese single mother with a disabled child. Is it me, or...?

Fighting A Losing Battle?

At least 10 students lost their chance to attend Harvard College after posting “obscene memes” to a private Facebook chat, the main Harvard student newspaper reported.

The memes included jokes about pedophilia, child abuse, sexual assault, and the Holocaust. One message referred to a Mexican youth being hanged as “piñata time”.

The memes were shared as part of a private Facebook chat where admitted students in the class of 2021 shared edgy jokes as part of a “just-because-we-got-into-Harvard-doesn’t-mean-we-can’t-have-fun kind of thing”, an admitted student told the Harvard Crimson.

To which the university replied: "Only fun that passes our strict definition, chums!"

The paper quoted a number of students from the incoming class, who had a range of responses, including two who said it was the right approach to withdraw the offers.

“I do not know how those offensive images could be defended,” one student said.

I despair. Once, you'd have gone to Harvard to discover exactly how you could defend it, and - more importantly - why you should defend it...

At least two Harvard professors, however, questioned the decision to withdraw the offers. Alan Dershowitz, an emeritus professor at Harvard Law School, told the Guardian that losing admission to Harvard was a “draconian punishment” for “very bad taste jokes that students were sending to each other”.

“It sounds like Harvard is intruding too deeply into the private lives of students,” said Dershowitz, who has represented a series of high-profile clients, including OJ Simpson. “It may affect them for life,” Dershowitz said.

Harvey C Mansfield, one of Harvard’s most outspoken conservative professors and the author of a book called Manliness, also told the Guardian he questioned the decision.

“The bounds of what is offensive have been extended and distorted, and I no longer trust the bent judgment of politically correct enforcers.”

Who does? Well, quite a lot of future students, I suspect. It seems we are sleepwalking into a future that even Orwell would have regarded as too far-fetched...

The Day After

And it's Mayhem. Seems Theresa May not.

Seriously, as the Tories limp towards a hung Parliament at the time of writing, against a hard Left, IRA sympathizing party leader who put his incompetent token ex-lover into the top seat in his shadow cabinet, I wonder what on earth this country has become.

I do know one thing. With Tory vote actually up, despite the ghastly May, this must be the anthem for this particular election:



That the Tories cannot do better against the worst Labour line up since Michael Foot means that May has to go, and go soon. The problem is....well, who's the natural challenger?

The Day

So it's finally here. And I have never known a General Election like this.

I will, of course, be voting, because - for me - not voting is simply not an option. But I don't think I've ever been so unenthused about an election as this one. The Conservatives are lacklustre and have elected a weak yet authoritarian leader, who clearly doesn't believe the policy (Brexit) the electorate has asked her to implement. They don't embody small-c conservative principles, being little different from Labour on the diversity politics, big state, environmentalist front.

Yet the opposition is far, far worse, headed by a man who loathes his own country and would sell us down the river in a heartbeat, with a shadow front bench that veers from crisis to crisis & couldn't be trusted to run a whelk stall.

So I will trudge to the polling station today, and do my bit. But I'd be lying if I said I expect to wake tomorrow and feel hope. No matter what the result.

See you all on the other side!

You Can Usually Tell Dangerous Dogs By Appearance...

The first woman is described as white, aged around 40 years old, around 5ft 5in tall, with black hair tied up into a messy bun. She was wearing a short brown top, jogging bottoms and a gold chain necklace.

The second woman is described as mixed race, aged between 18 and 25 years old with dark hair tied up into a messy bun. She was wearing a white vest top and light grey flared jogging bottoms. She was also wearing gold earrings in the shape of a square and a long thin chain necklace.

The man is described as white, aged around 25 years old, with dark brown or black coloured hair and he was clean shaven. He was wearing a thick blue hoodie, with the hood down, white trousers and dirty trainers.

...of the owners.

One Word: Bollards!

In December, Highways restored the pavement outside Trafford House, in Station Way, Basildon and issued 50 tickets to drivers parked there.

But now about 60 pavement slabs are broken and loose because residents from Trafford House and other drivers have been mounting the pavement to get close to Basildon Train Station.

Time to issue 50 more?

When our reporter attended the scene a Trafford House resident, who did not want to be named, said “parking there was his only option” and he had “never received a ticket.”

OK, 100 more!

A spokesperson for Essex Highways said: “Our engineers have previously carried temporary repairs but motorists continue to mount the pavement to access private land.

We are considering the best permanent solutions to the issue, and this may include enforcement action.”

I'd have thought the answer was staring you in the face?

It's Yet Another Mystery, Vivien...

Mr Turner has now reported the incident to the police but they refused to comment when contacted by The Herald.

"You have to report it," he said "But I don't think there is much they will do. I just want to warn other people.

"It really was quite frightening. Someone could get hurt."

Yes, the police, if they turn up. That's probably why they don't!

Ward councillor Vivien Pengelly said she "couldn't understand" why the police were not using what she believes to be new powers to move the group on.

She said: "I really do think that the police are not quite clear about these new powers but I know other authorities who have used them.

"Why aren't local police using them?

"I really feel for the residents in that area. Some of them are quite terrified."

Ah, if only we had a ... force, I guess, of people prepared to ensure the laws were obeyed and the peace was kept. Wouldn't that be nice?

Darwin Claims Another...

A trainee maths teacher killed when his car ploughed into an oncoming lorry may have been trying to retrieve his phone after it fell into the passenger footwell, an inquest heard.

Best to pull over when that happens. Guess the chap wasn'tt too familiar with physics.

The lorry driver said he could not see anyone in the driver's seat seconds before the impact, and the handset was found in the footwell – tests failed to establish whether Mr Mogra had been using it during the journey.

Hmmmm, I wonder why?

PC Paul Joynson of Greater Manchester Police told the hearing: '...the phone was encrypted so it was not possible to establish if it had been used to send messages before the collision.

Curiouser and curiouser...

There was 'no evidence' Mr Mogra was wearing a seatbelt, he added.

'His mother said she had constantly reminded her son to wear a seatbelt when he was driving.'

/facepalm

Recording a conclusion of road traffic accident, coroner Tim Brennand said: 'It may have been a matter of loss of concentration that caused him to collide with the HGV but we don't know what caused that loss of concentration.

'Muhammad was a young man who was a credit to his family.'

Really?

H/T: P Car via email

"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?"

The Echo can now reveal that a year-long cold case review by a crack team of former senior homicide detectives has led to the Met Police becoming involved in the probe.

Yes, it's still ongoing:

Mr Balkwell, 70, said new evidence came to light after a successful High Court action in December that forced Essex Police to hand over documents from the original investigation. These were passed to detectives at the Essex-based TM-Eye detective agency, who had already spent six months reviewing the case. Mr Balkwell and the agency’s boss Dave McKelvey met with Police and Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst on March 17 to discuss the case.

Mr Hirst is understood to have ordered Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh to take action, prompting a request for assistance from the Met.

Mr Balkwell, were he anything other than fishbelly white and from Essex, would no doubt be showered with honours and feted on tv, with hard-hitting documentaries made about him....

Mr Kavanagh is already the subject of a misconduct probe by Devon and Cornwall Police into allegations, made by Mr Balkwell, that the force has failed to investigate claims of police corruption linked to Lee’s murder.

*sighs*

“Is The Pay Good?”

"Nah, mate, it's shit money..."

A concerned resident has been handed a cash reward after reporting a dog owner who failed to clean up after their pet in Stafford.

The irresponsible dog owner was spotted in Wildwood and was slapped with a £75 fine for committing the offence.

And now the £75 has been handed over to the concerned resident as the fine was given thanks to the information provided to Stafford Borough Council.

Hmmm....

Howard Thomas, head of environment and health at Stafford Borough Council, said the reward was well deserved.

He said: "Since launching the reward scheme in 2014 we have seen a huge amount of support for our efforts to get rid of this disgusting crime.

"It is only fair that those people who help us should be rewarded – with the inconsiderate dog owner the one that pays."

Also the taxpayer who stumped up the cost of the prosecution. Shouldn't that too be paid by the dog owner?

Normal Service Will Resume Tomorrow...

...today we mourn yet more victims of a terrorist atrocity. One I was totally unaware of, as I went to bed early and didn't check my phone until I got up at 5:00 and idly flicked on FaceBook, and wondered why it was asking if I wanted to let friends know I was safe, as I was 'near the Attack'.

'Stupid software!', I thought 'I'm nowhere near Manchester, and you're over a week late!' Then I had a horrible thought, and checked Twitter. And found out.

How many more? There are calls for the General Election to be suspended, calls from the usual suspects, of course. The ones who will also tell you this is 'nothing to do with Islam', as the body count mounts and SAS helicopters buzz over London and streets are closed and we are urged to 'remain calm' as the authorities try to work out what's happened.

I think we all know by now what's happened. But what do we do about it? That's the real question, isn't it?

Questions To Which The Desired Answer Is Clearly Signposted...

Let's ask some unbiased opinions, eh?

Mr Stanley, whose wife was unable to leave the house and needed counselling following the terrifying ordeal, believes tighter control of firearms would help safeguard the public

He said: “For me, any amount of guns above zero is too many.

“There really is no reason to have one in your home and there are no exceptions unless you live on a remote farm and need them for pest control.

“It’s fair enough that people shoot for sport, but if these weapons fall into the wrong hands the outcome can be catastrophic.

“If people are members of gun clubs then why aren’t the guns locked up at the club? Why do people need them in their homes?

“There’s no need for it.”

It's a terrible thing to be held up at gunpoint, but why that would make you an expert on gun control, I don't know.

Former London gang leader Sheldon Thomas, who now lives in south Essex, is the founder and chief executive of Gangsline. Gangsline works in partnership with Essex Police across six districts in Essex - including Thurrock, Southend and Basildon - to provide a support network for people wanting to escape gang culture. Mr Sheldon knows more than most what could happen if the licensed guns end up in the wrong hands.

He said: “When I first heard those figures I was shocked, that’s a lot of guns in circulation that could easily fall into the wrong hands.

“Whoever is handing these licenses out haven’t seen what we’ve seen here, the destruction guns can cause when they get into the wrong hands is horrific.

“The more guns that are out there, the more danger people will face.”

Quite right. Obesity is a problem too, so let's solve it by making sure there's fewer knives and forks around...

Mike Yardley is a former British clay pigeon champion, founding fellow of the Association of Professional Shooting Instructors, and teaches at the Fennes Range, in Braintree. He is, of course, a vocal advocate for guns.

You can almost hear the contempt, can't you?

He said: ”It’s a great mistake to mix the criminal use of firearms with leisure use of firearms.

“In the UK, there are hardly any firearm fatalities. Licensing here is tightly controlled, which is one of the reasons we have little firearm homicides.

“I’m not saying there isn’t a risk. Of course, there is a risk with most things. But what I’m saying is there is a greater risk of injury with cars or drugs.

“Crimes which are committed with guns are usually done so with illegal imitation firearms, rather than stolen shotguns and rifles.

“For criminals, handguns are the weapon of choice because of their fire power and they can be concealed.

“Yes stolen licensed shotguns can be sawn, but that isn’t the problem, the problem lies with drugs.”

You lost, Mike. You brought facts to the table. But emotion and saccharine 'must be seen to be doing something' feelgood attempts trump that every time, these days.

But...But... Disability Cuts!?!

Two people have been hospitalised after being attacked by their own dogs in their home.

Derbyshire police and paramedics were called to a house in Boythorpe Road, Chesterfield, shortly after 7.20pm last night to reports that a man and a woman had been injured by their dogs. Both were taken to hospital by East Midlands Ambulance Service.

Police said the woman is badly injured while the man is in a "less serious" condition.

Thank god it's not an innocent member of the public...

Police say the two victims - who are believed to be a mother and her disabled son - remain in a serious condition in hospital.

 Wait, what..?

The attack is believed to have involved two bull mastiffs, which have since been put down. Another dog which lived at the property - believed to be a terrier type - has been taken into kennels.

Gosh! But isn't Frances Ryan always telling us how disabled people live in poverty, barely able to feed themselves?

If One Of These* Is Planned For The Animal Kingdom...

...then I've got a contender!

Steve James, 57, who lives in a horse box on Third Avenue, in Burton, was watching the TV when he heard a knock.

Someone was at the door wanting to call an ambulance for a 27-year-old woman who had been walking along the nearby Trent and Mersey canal when she was mauled by a large dog, described as an American pit bull-type animal.

Someone who didn't have a mobile phone? Odd.

The passer-by said the woman had jumped into the water, and swam about 100 metres to get away from the dog before gripping on to the side of a narrowboat.

The owner of the boat then came out and pulled the woman on board - but the dog got on board, too.

Oh noes!

The owner managed to lure the dangerous dog inside the boat, and placed a weight in front of the door while the woman tried to escape. However the dog managed to break free, and again attacked the woman, who was on the towpath by the side of the canal.

It was then that Mr James arrived, and found the woman trying to keep the dog at arm's length. She had suffered severe lacerations to her legs, arms and ribs, so that the bones on her shin were exposed.

Yikes!

Mr James told the Burton Mail: "I grabbed a lead from my van, and I said to her on the count of three, let go of the dog. So when it got to three, I put the lead over his neck.

And pulled it tight, strangling the bloody thing?

"By this time, the ambulance had arrive. She was in there for a good hour before she went to hospital, because they had to clean all of the wounds.

"I managed to calm the dog down a bit, and walked it up to near where the ambulance was, and tied it up.

Oh.

I have always had big dogs myself so I knew what to do, but that dog was going to kill her, no doubt about it."

Well, why let it live then!? And....wait, whose dog was it, exactly?

A spokesman for Staffordshire Police said: "We were called to a canal boat by Waterside Court around 9.25pm on Friday, May 12 by colleagues from the ambulance service.

"A woman had been bitten by her dog. She was taken to the Royal Stoke University Hospital with arm and leg injuries and received treatment.The dog was seized for assessment of breed type. Inquiries are ongoing."

Another Darwin Award contender gets off lightly...

*unkillable adversaries

Special Pleading By Proxy

A six-year-old has written to the Prime Minister to plead for school funding so a beloved singing teacher can remain in post.

Otis Carter wrote the letter yesterday, upon learning that freelancer Al Start would not be returning to work at Elm Grove primary school in Brighton after this half term.

Otis’s mother Deb Friis, 43, told The Argus her son was so upset on hearing the news that after a conversation about politics he decided to write to the Prime Minster.

Hmmm, when I was six, my letters were mostly to Father Christmas...

Ms Friis, who works as a maths teacher (Ed: aha!) at St Pauls secondary school in Burgess Hill, said: “They told the children last Wednesday and Otis was crying when he walked home.

“We talked about politics and he’s very aware of what’s going on and he said ‘I’m going to write to Theresa May’.

“He came up with the words and we helped him with the spelling.”

Sure you did. That's all you helped him with, I'm sure...

"Immediately I wanted to know why did he have to die like this?"

DCI Mackay added:'The fact Paul Pass and Mark Andrews were willing to meet up with Islam and Moosajee the day after the theft in the hope of scoring more drugs shows how dependent and vulnerable to exploitation they were.'

Because 'care in the community' only works when predators aren't left to roam at will, DCI Mackay.

The three teenagers will be sentenced at a later date.

And will receive what? Not a just punishment.

I Don't Think You Really Thought About That Statement, Either....

“These people who commit these actions are not thinking about their actions. If it did we would have solved crime thousands of years ago.

“It works for people who are thinking rationally. These young people are not thinking about it. We met young people in prisons over the years who all said they didn’t mean to do it.”

Of course they say that. It's what their defence tells them to say!

“If you just raise the prison sentence we just end up with more young people in prison. We need to protect young people from themselves, they are as much their own worst enemies.”

Not while I'm around, they aren't....